Keely+G.+-+RC+-+FA12

=**Dorothea Dix**=

**Reform for Mental Illness**
Dorothea Dix was an advocate for the reform of the treatment of mentally ill patients. Her mission began in 1841 when she agreed to cover a friend’s Sunday class in the East Cambridge Jail. She was greatly disturbed by what she found there. Mental illness was not well understood during this time and many people believed that the mentally ill were lunatics that were a danger to society. Therefore, the mentally ill were not treated well and were housed in prisons or poorhouses. Dorothea Dix became painfully aware of the poor treatment of the mentally ill in her visit to the Cambridge Jail. The so called “lunatics” were housed with dangerous criminals in rooms with no heating or bathrooms. Dix immediately sought to improve the treatment of people with mental illness.

**Dix's Mission**
Dix’s experience in the jail caused her to present a case to the local court pleading for better facilities. Dorothy also gained a concern for the treatment of the mentally ill in other Massachusetts facilities, and she traveled to them, demanding to the authorities that she inspect their buildings. There, she found even more appalling scenes. Patients were beaten and chained to the wall like animals. The mental health of the patients was not improved in these facilities and some patients injured themselves. Dix also gained a large understanding of mental illness by reading literature and speaking with experts. She described the horrific accommodations of the mentally ill in a memorial to the state legislature, campaigning for the state to provide funding for an asylum for the insane. The Massachusetts legislature responded to the memorial by providing further funding for the Worcester Insane Asylum. Dorothea Dix also sought to expand on her cause by promoting reform in other states. She investigated the conditions of existing facilities, then wrote a memorial to be presented in front of the state legislature.

**"Voice for the Mad"**
Dorothea Dix was extremely successful as she played a direct role in beginning the reform for the treatment of the mentally ill. Her initial success began in Massachusetts with the state expanding upon the mental health institute, the Worcester insane asylum. She had further success in other states. Upon hearing her memorials, state legislatures improved their existing hospitals. Thirty two hospitals were built as a direct result of Dix’s memorials. Her successes also sparked others to take up her cause, and 110 institutes for the insane were established between 1843 and 1880. Her efforts resulted in a large movement towards the improved treatment of patients with mental illness.

**Unitarianism**
Dorothea Dix's reform was practical during the time period because of the many cultural and religious changes that were taking place during this period in time. Dorothea was a Unitarian. This religious group upheld the republican belief that citizens should work for the benefit of society. Unitarianism encouraged peace, democracy, and assistance to the disadvantaged. Therefore, the beliefs of the Unitarians inspired Dorothea Dix to begin the reformation of mental institutions, and encouraged others to promote her cause as well.

**​Federal Support**
Dorothea Dix had a lofty goal; one that would not have been possible without the help of the government. She had incredible accomplishments, but to further her cause, assistance from the federal government was needed. In 1848, Dorothea Dix proposed to the United States Congress that they grant land to be used to build mental health facilities. If the president were to pass this bill, many new facilities would be built, and countless patients with mental illnesses would be helped. Dix’s cause would also be helped by legislature ensuring that patients in these asylums were treated humanely. The assistance of the president in the reformation of mental health treatment would have substantial effects on the correction of the mistreatment of individuals suffering from mental health problems.

**References**
Dix was a Unitarian, and met other reformers in Massachusetts. She became very close with the Unitarian preacher, William Ellery Channing, and his beliefs had a large influence on her movement against the mistreatment of the mentally ill. Dix also met the acquaintance of several other reformers through her work. As a woman, many of her ideas were not appreciated or listened to. Therefore, she enlisted the help of more influential men to help her in presenting her memorials to legislatures. Most notable was Samuel Gridley Howe, an activist for the reformation of education for the blind. Dorothea Dix also fully believed in this cause. Dix’s extreme successes in the proper treatment of the mentally ill was recognized and praised by educational reformist, Horace Mann.

Works Cited "Dorothea Dix." //Dictionary of Unitarian & Universalist Biography//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. . "Horace Mann." //United States American History//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. . "Mass Moments: Dorothea Dix Begins Her Crusade." //Mass Moments//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. . "Unitarianism in New England." //New England Travel//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. . "William Ellery Channing." //Dictionary of Unitarian & Universalist Biography//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. .