Bethlem

We visited the Bethlem Museum of the Mind on a school trip. It was very interesting to learn more about mental health and the methods of treatment for the patients. I could relate this to our performance and what we had learned in the lessons. In the museum, we saw that the definition of mental health is ‘a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her own community.’ This was an interesting definition as it doesn’t reflect upon my previous thoughts and opinions about mental health.

The hopsital was founded by in 1247 by Christians in order to provide shelter and care for homeless people, however it gradually began to focus on people who were considered to be ‘mad’. Patients did not often stay longer than 12 months. Ex-patients were called ‘Bedlamites’ and were licensed to beg on main routes between towns. It was the only public mental institution in England until well into the 1800s. Despite having a large reputation, Bedlam remained small for centuries - there were no more than 24 patients in 1620. At some point, the monks began to accept patients who suffered from symptoms of mental illness rather than physical disability or disease. By 1403, 'lunatic' patients formed the majority of the Bethlem's clients. Bethlem Museum of the Mind was opened by an artist called Grayson Perry in March 2015. The museum cares for an internationally renowned collection of archives, art and historic objects. These support the history of mental healthcare and treatment. Bethlem Royal Hospital was the first institution in England to specialise in the care of the mentally ill and is believed to be the world’s oldest psychiatric hospital. The hospital was also known as ‘Bedlam’ which demonstrates the chaos associated with the early history of the mental health. The language used to describe mental health conditions has changed over the centuries. Some terms that were once considered to be acceptable may be considered offensive by today’s standards. Physiognomy is the practice of trying to assess a person’s character and mental state by looking at their facial features. It was a popular method used in the hospital. Artists had to draw the patients and they would publish the portraits in museums or galleries. This is interesting as it shows that people could be considered to be mentally ill merely due to their appearance. This is very interesting when showing a facial expression and a physical shape to show mental health in the performance. There were specific rooms created to isolate prisoners if there was any treat or violence or anti-social behaviour. There rooms were fitted with padded panels and sparsely furnished to minimise any risk of self-harm. This must have been horrible and lonely for the patients. I struggle to imagine just how difficult it would have been to live in horrific and isolated conditions. Phrenology is a science of the brain that was popular in the 19th century. Franz Joseph Gall developed a theory that the bumps on a person’s head gave insights into different aspects of their personality. He examined pick pockets had bumps behind their ears and had a tendency of theft or lying. However, his work was eventually questioned and reconsidered. This makes me think that all criminals were considered mental ill and that mental health was probably a label for anyone disliked or looked down upon by society. This helps me relate to their frustration and loneliness even further.

In the museum, there were two statues called Raving and Melancholy Madness. Raving appeared to be quite relaxed which contrasted to Melancholy Madness who was in chains, screaming. This already set the mood for the rest of the trip. I looked at the syringes on the museum that were all different sizes of syringes, which led me to thinking about how much people would be injected with medicine they were told would make them 'better', which also leads on to me wondering how many toxins and harmful chemicals would be pumped into their bodies. This made me think about the mistreatment of patients and the fear and discomfort the patients went through. There were X-Ray machines for those who suffer from depression. Orange spots would appear if they were depressed, however, after shocking them with this equipment, the spots turned blue, showing that the depression temporarily disappeared; after about 3-4 weeks, they would turn orange again, either making them as depressed as they were previously or even more depressed, so the doctors would repeat it again for it to then happen again - in the end, it would become an addiction and patients would keep asking for electric shocks so that they felt better. I then examined the electric shock equipment. This was such a strange experience. The headset reminded me of headphones, however, with a wire attached to a machine controlling the amount of electricity to be running through the person's body, it looked more like a terrifying torture device. The thing to be put in the mouth looked as if it was made of rubber, an insulator, however the head piece looked to be made of metal, a conductor, therefore leading me to picture someone's brain being fried because of, what they thought was a, 'treatment'. We saw large, padded walls that were in the prisons. The material was very hard and coarse which was interesting as this contrasted to how I thought they would/should be. There was a small gap in the door where food gets passed through therefore, showing that they didn't even get any human interaction which would probably make them less sane than before due to their loneliness.  I can’t imagine what it would be like to be by yourself for so long, it would probably make the patients angry and upset which won’t help cure them at all. I can imagine that all together it could have created a very sterile and cold environment; also, if the patients were in strait jackets in a room with these walls, I can completely understand how they could go crazy.

Many of the patient who were in the mental institution were there for reasons that, by today’s standards, we wouldn’t consider to be mentally ill. This shows that there is a large and vague label for those who are mentally ill. This is interesting as it shows how our perspective of mental illness has changed over the years. Furthermore, it shows how those who are mental ill wouldn’t consider themselves to have any problems. This helps me understand mental health problems, therefore making it easier to portray someone suffering from a mental health issue. There were many notable patients who were in the hospital such as Bannister Truelock. He was a shoemaker who prophesied the second coming of Christ. In 1800 he was sent to Bethlem after conspiring to assassinate George III alongside James Hadfield. Another person was Edward Oxford. He was tried for high treason after he attempted the assassination of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1840. He tried to shoot the pair just outside of Buckingham Palace, but missed and was apprehended immediately. Furthermore, there was Hannah Snell who dressed as a man and became a soldier in 1747. She revealed her gender and was discharged from the military, but was granted a pension in 1750, a rare occurrence for women of her era. This one in particular relates to our performance as it reflects on who we are on the outside and who we want to be on the outside. People will put on a mask to society to hide their true identity. They was there for expressing their true identity and expressing themselves.

In conclusion, I believe that visiting the museum and finding out the treatment of the patients has benefitted me and developed my knowledge and understanding of mental health issues. Therefore, this will improve my performance and help me get into character.