The Process

Explore the Mental Health History Timeline, especially noting changes that occurred in the 50 years since McMurphy's death. 

Mental Health History:

• People with mental health issues were locked up in Asylums, whilst trying to fix the issue by proceeding gruesome and terrifying experiments on the patients. 
• Mental health was seen as a bad thing, and people feared it. 
• In the 20th century there were many insane Asylums. 
• Funding was often cut for Asylums, and many patients starved to death. 
• In Nazi Germany over 200, 000 people with a mental health disorder were put to death, their deaths received little historical attention. 
• Not many treatments for mental health. 

Changes in Mental health 50 years after McMurphy’s death:

• People have become more aware of mental health issues. 
• More funding for mental heath research provided by the government. 
• Techniques to treat patients are far from being as horrifying as back then.
• Students learn about mental health in school.
• Treated as a normal disease, can happen to anyone. 
• Lots of treatments for mental health. 

Explore the history of one particular hospital thorough David H. Clark's article, "The Story of a Mental Hospital: Fulbourn, 1858-1983," again, taking particular note of the period between the late 1950's and the present.
FULBOURN, 1858-1983
Then:

• Lack of funding, patients starved. 
• Abusing patients. 
• No therapy, no real treatment. 
• Treated as if they were contagious or lower than others. 

Now: 

• Many treatments available for mental health issues, such as pills, and therapy. 
• Human rights, no abusing patients. 
• Treated as normal human beings. 
• Lots of funding for mental health.

Learn about the practice of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT).

• Electroconvulsive Therapy is electrically induced causing a seizure. 
• Used to "treat" depression and mania. 

Learn more about the practice of Lobotomies.

• Lobotomies are when there is cutting or scraping into the skull, then breaking connections to the brain.

Read about the practice of Institutionalization, taking special note of changes and/or progress over time.

• Patient numbers dropped to sudden deaths. 
• Nowadays such thing wouldn't happen due to our treatments available. 

Go beyond. Google search terms related to your article (i.e. "mental health," "shock therapy," "electroconvulsive therapy," "lobotomy").

 

Mental health: a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being.

Shock therapy: treatment of chronic mental conditions by electroconvulsive therapy or by inducing physiological shock.

Electroconvulsive therapy: the administration of a strong electric current that passes through the brain to induce convulsions and coma

Lobotomy: a surgical operation involving incision into the prefrontal lobe of the brain, formerly used to treat mental illness.

Asylum: institution offering shelter and support to people who are mentally ill.

Patient: a person receiving or registered to receive medical treatment.