Abstract

PEREZ FERNANDEZ, Francisco  and  PENARANDA ORTEGA, María. The controversy on asylums between the 19th and 20th centuries: the case of Nellie Bly. Rev. Asoc. Esp. Neuropsiq. [online]. 2017, vol.37, n.131, pp.95-112. ISSN 2340-2733.

The state of mental institutions gradually improved throughout the nineteenth century. The architectural changes promoted by the Kirkbride Plan in the United States and different advances in various fields and disciplines prompted a more humane way. However, the debate on detention practices in mental institutions and on the treatment received by patients never ceased to be present. This context witnessed the case of reporter Nellie Bly, who in 1887 simulated madness crazy in order to be admitted at the Psychiatric Hospital of Blackwell's close to Island New York. The ensuing scandal and media coverage of her case prompted several reform initiatives by the US government.

Keywords : Nellie Bly; history of psychiatry; psychotherapy; mental hospitals; nineteenth century; mass media.

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