Mental Hospitals Or Torture Chambers: 6 Asylums That Will Give You The Chills
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From mood and personality disorders to trauma and substance use, mental health is a fragile and vague area that even psychiatrists cannot fully understand; an area subjected to numerous social stereotypes and stigma. Sadly, not many recognize the importance of mental health, so patients, families, and staff often walk on eggshells to cope with their everyday lives.
Here are 6 creepy asylums that look like torture chambers rather than safe spaces.
Island Lunatic Asylum
Many desperate women were shipped to Hart’s Island Lunatic Asylum, one of the most hopeless places in the US. The facility was built on the infamous Hart Island in NYC, used for different purposes, such as a prisoner-of-war camp, a tuberculosis hospital, and a quarantine zone. Note that today the island is used as a burial ground.
Notorious Danvers Hospital
If you think that the Hippocratic Oath can stop doctors at mental hospitals from committing outrageous acts, think twice! The past of the Danvers State Hospital, MA, now converted to cozy apartments, is haunting. Patients were forced to walk naked, live in waste, and endure terrible treatments, such as shock therapy, lobotomy, and isolation.
Federico Mora Hospital
Though mental care services are much more developed today, the reality in many places across the world is scary. In Guatemala, for instance, patients are not only neglected but abused by staff. According to BBC, the Federico Mora Hospital is one of the worst institutions in the world where patients are shackled, sedated, and ignored.
Ospedale Psichiatrico Volterra
The ruins of the Ospedale Psichiatrico di Volterra in Italy remind people of darker times. People were sent there not only for minor emotional problems but for political crimes. Patients were subjected to controversial treatments, such as insulin therapy and electroshock. In the 60s the hospital became one of the largest in Europe, with two toilets to every 200 people.
Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital
No doubt asylums across the globe are creepy enough to inspire horror movies. The abandoned Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital in South Korea, for instance, inspired one of the most successful Asian horror movies. Yet, let’s not forget that mental health hospitals tell stories of real-life despair and broken dreams.
Haven Forest Asylum
Though Forest Haven, DC was built as a symbol of progress, a place with music and art therapy programs, the facility slowly became a synonym of horror, violence, neglect, and abused rights. Even people with learning disabilities and physical problems were dumped and forgotten there. Though Mother Nature is reclaiming this site, the pain remains.