Out of Sight, Out of Mind

A History of Women’s Madness

‘Let it be remembered that insanity is still considered as more disgraceful than crime, and that it is therefore made the immediate interest of the family of the insane to bury her in oblivion .’

Today we are increasingly aware that poor mental health affects all of us, collectively if not personally; it is something to be accepted and addressed, rather than kept at bay like a dangerous beast. But for most of human history mental illness has been seen as taboo, a shameful secret that required hiding away. Women – who have long been stigmatised as melancholic, hysteric and feeble minded, more prone to insanity than their male counterparts – have been particularly sidelined.

In Out of Sight, Out of Mind, Jane Robinson traces the history of women’s madness from the ancient Greek humours and witch trials to institutions, modern psychiatry and the birth of the NHS, giving a voice to both the patients of the past and the pioneering women who came to their aid. Drawing on case studies, first-hand accounts and the tireless work of female campaigners, journalists and doctors, Robinson reveals how a chorus of women helped to engineer the change towards compassion, understanding and effective treatment; how much prejudice they had to overcome in the process, and how their greatest ally in the battle for recognition was their own strength of character.

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