Ten Days in a Mad-House

This is a depressing story about what life was like in an Asylum back in the 19th and early 20th centuries. I like that it was a simple and short read. (I don't like books over 300 pages long) This story about her life in the Asylum was well written, and easy to understand. She gives a pretty detailed description of what it was like, without being too graphic. I think she was an extremely brave woman to endure this treatment for the ten days she was there; She wanted to know first hand, what it was like to be a patient there at Bellevue, and to write her story about it. And she was NOT insane!

Really interesting read. I wish it were longer/author would have elaborated more. Historical and documentary like. Overall great read. Easy to understand. All ages could enjoy/learn from it.

About time I read a non-fiction book! And I picked a great one! As it says in my bio, I LOVE anything about asylums, mad-houses, or psychiatric hospitals. For some reason, the historian in me geeks out and the little seen horror freak comes out. Don’t ask me why, I’ve tried to explain it, but I can’t, I just love them. In These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly, her main character, Jo Montfort, looks up to Nellie Bly as a journalist and a woman who works for change. That intrigued me, so I found Bly’s account and read it in 24 hours. It was inspiring, maddening, and heart breaking all at once. Nellie actually faked insanity to be committed to the Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum. That may sound romantic to the rest of us, but during 1887, it was a nightmare. Her assignment was to give an accurate account of the plight of the insane from beginning to end. The thing that annoyed me the most was the commitment process. She saw a couple of doctors who asked her a short list of questions and then declared her a hopeless case of insanity. Though thankfully, they admitted that her pulse and heartbeat didn’t evidence insanity . . . yes that was indeed sarcasm. Even at Bellevue Hospital, the conditions were primitive, at best. No heat, no extra clothing. The asylum on Blackwell’s Island was even worse. The food was minimum and mostly spoiled. The nurses beat and bullied the patients. But the most surprising thing to me, was the daily activities of the patients. From 6 AM-8 PM, they sat on hard benches, not allowed to talk, to move, to slouch. 14 hours of sitting straight and quiet was their main “treatment”. Anyone would be insane after a couple days of that! Fortunately, Nellie’s story incited a slew of changes in the treatment of the insane in New York State. “The committee of appropriation provides $1,000,000 more than was ever before given, for the benefit of the insane.” So thankfully the most basic of problems were addressed with the publication of this story. But modern day mental health still has way too many problems. My husband is a Physician Assistant at the Emergency Department so he sees his fair share of insane patients coming through. I always press him about the process that each patient and doctor and policeman have to go through to get someone committed to a psych ward. Sometimes it’s as simple as someone trying to commit suicide or even admitting that they want to. But those people usually only stay for a night. They are then released after consulting psychiatrist. There are other more serious cases that have to go through the court system. As long as one doctor signs off on a commitment order, that patient can be committed to a short term psychiatric facility. When I asked about any long term facilities, Ivan informed me that there are none. The modern mental health system is dependent on pharmaceuticals. When I asked about those patients who won’t take their medication or those for whom medication doesn’t help, he just shrugged. We’ve discussed mental health many times and he always shows such frustration for the current process. People can still be committed by family members who just can’t be bothered to care for their loved ones or are trying to take advantage of them. There are still people walking the streets who legitimately belong under 24 hour psychiatric supervision. And there are no longer any long term facilities available for those who need them. Sadly, there are still too many changes that need to be made and problems to be fixed. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone in the mental health system and to most medical professionals. Anyone who enjoys history would also enjoy this book.

Liked learning about the experience she had but wish she would have went into more detail and was a little more organized.

~Kindle edition ASIN: B0049P1O16 (purchased when it was Free over the holidays) This ebook version of TEN DAYS IN A MAD-HOUSE actually has 3 different investigations by Nellie Bly. The main and longest treatise is about her experiences at the Blackwell Island institute for the insane. The other two stories take a look at the working environments of young women at the bottom rungs of industrial revolution. Nellie Bly as a narrator stands out as a pretty engaging character. Born a year before the end of the American Civil War she is nothing if not spunky and she charges into situations where the more cautious might not tread. Her story telling in TEN DAYS IN A MAD-HOUSE is a bit verbose, but effective. I thought that I wasn't going to get caught up in the story but Nellie succeeded in getting me riled up at the treatment of these women. Readers looking for DRAMA in all caps, will likely be disappointed. But anyone looking for insight into the 1880s will probably find this a good read. I enjoyed the shorter pieces just as much as TEN DAYS. Nellie has a way of offsetting the hardship with gentler touches of kindness. In the short pieces you can see the inhumanity side-by-side with human kind's better aspects. The adventure with the insane asylum, on the other hand, offers insight not only into how little they understood about insanity, but also about how organizations can slip into corruption. It was also fascinating to see that immigration was in full force as Jews, Germans, and Cubans were players on this stage. These were people coming to America with few skills and no English. Like our author they were adventurous souls. SUMMARY Interesting historical piece. The writing is a bit verbose and as it was part of a newspaper series there are quite a few pages of build up before you get to the 'meat'. I liked the two shorter stories just as much as TEN DAYS. It was a rewarding read.

Ten Days in a Mad-House is the real life account of Nellie Bly, a female journalist in 1887, who feigned insanity to experience what life was like in Blackwell's Island Insane Asylum, New York. History in general tends to make broad, sweeping remarks about what life was like in any given era. Women, especially, in the Victorian era are portrayed as living extremely restricted lives. While many did, and still do, there are countless examples of women, especially in America, who attended colleges, worked, owned property/businesses, and basically did what ever they pleased (and had exceptionally good luck). I can't tell you how many times I've heard that 'Victorian women couldn't attend college and work'. Nellie Bly is one of those women. She's a spirited, good humored twenty year-old journalist who, if she chose to accept, was assigned this daunting task by her editor. She paints a vivid picture of what life was like inside a public institution for the insane. It was chilling to see how easily a person could be committed, the treatment they received, the dismissiveness of doctors, and the cruelty of the nurses who were supposed to be caring for the patients, most of whom were perfectly sane. Her expose was originally published in the World, a newspaper in New York. Due to Nellie Bly's efforts, it raised awareness for the deplorable condition in asylum's and triggered a reformation. After I finished this book, I also finished another true crime book I was reading: The Killers of Little Shepherds where the subject of criminals feigning insanity to escape the death penalty was discussed. So these quotes of Nellie Bly's really stood out for me: "But here was a woman taken without her own consent from the free world to an asylum and there given no chance to prove her sanity... ...Compare this with a criminal, who is given every chance to prove his innocence. Who would not rather be a murderer and take the chance for life than be declared insane, without hope of escape?" "In comparison, how much easier it would be to walk to the gallows than to this tomb of living horrors!" Nellie Bly's writing style is engaging, touching, and at times comical, even in the grim settings. I highly recommend this account for any history lovers, researchers, and all readers in general.

I found this book very interesting, for the topic and for year it was written. Nellie Bly was a very smart and courageous young woman. She purposefully had herself committed to an insane asylum, not knowing what would happen once she got there. She exposed the cruelty and abuse the patients had to endure. I would like to know more about her life. She did good for this world.

Having spent time in a mental institution as a patient, I can say that this is a terrific account. Objectively and sympathetic.

Wydanie takie sobie, ale warto.

...mir het es gefallen...

Thank you for sending me this original book. I really appreciate that. Regarding from BRAZIL!

Loved the book, good seller.

Really enjoying this book