Alison Watt’s grandmother was diagnosed with ‘puerperal insanity’ and institutionalised not long after giving birth to her father. He didn’t meet her – or know she was alive – until his early 20s.
When Doris Taylor became paralysed, her mother was advised to put her in a Home for Incurables. Instead, Doris helped elect a reforming South Australian premier and founded a national institution.
Why was Susanna Kaysen really hospitalised? Her memoir Girl, Interrupted turns 30 this year. It investigates whether she was ‘mad’, or medicalised for a ‘chaotic’ life that defied gender norms.
Set in a mental health facility, Wakefield shows the advantages of television over feature film, giving scope to explore mental health stories without resorting to caricatures.
A neuropsychologist who works in these skilled care facilities describes the changing populations. With COVID-19, many nursing homes are now struggling to stay in business.