Reasons that people were admitted to the Lunatic Asylum in Brooklyn, NY in 1868

    by GreenHorror4252

    29 Comments

    1. Well a lot of those are a little horrifying. Do you think those 9 “domestic troubles” patients institutionalized themselves because it was the only way to escape an abusive partner, or were they institutionalized *by* an abusive partner for resisting them?

    2. Swimming-Damage-2020 on

      I like that this list it is sorted to be numerically skinny in the middle but is otherwise disordered.

    3. I don’t like having an “unknown” in any medical lists lol and it’s the most populated descriptor

    4. Gold-Succotash-9217 on

      I thought it said Tabasco and I’m even more confused that it’s Tobacco. Like sure, getting blasted with hot sauce can drive you temporarily crazy but these people smoked their fingers yellow. They smoked until they talked like frogs. Cigarette burns on all the furniture. How bad was it to land them in the looney bin?

    5. purplemarkersniffer on

      I’m guessing there are levels in this facility. I don’t know how big it is, but if you think of it in terms of acuity or severity the conditions should suit the patient. For example they probably wouldn’t have housed a blow to the head, cholera, tobacco and jealousy all in the same area. It would rate some people were there for just short term treatment for tobacco or a temporary mental health crisis and others were residence in a secure wing.

    6. Want of work? “Cant find a job mom, I guess I’ll go lock myself in the insane asylum”

    7. As an epileptic person myself, I can’t imagine having a seizure, being sent away from home, and then being locked up in a cell with a straitjacket to stop my lunacy 😂

    8. Religious excitement. 

      They could lock up a shit ton of people today for this. Overly religious thought is still in the DSM-V

    9. enters_and_leaves on

      What is the difference between paralysis and general paralysis? They seem to be equally common.

    10. This is not “reasons” they were admitted, this is the supposed “causes” of their insanity.

      The reason they were admitted was because they were allegedly insane.

      I mean it’s not like they admitted those 4 people for having no friends… Those people were insane, and they may have stated at some stage that they went insane because they didn’t have friends.

    11. OnCnditonOfAnonymity on

      Far out. Sun stroke? For me that’s any day of the week. Also imbecility….. Because I keep working in the Australian sun.

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