




“Ten Days in a Mad-House” by Nellie Bly is her day-to-day diary of living in an insane asylum.  It primarily focuses on the treatment of the mentally ill and her struggle of living through the harsh rules and treatment of the Blackwell’s Island Lunatic Asylum. This journal of Bly’s experiences illuminates the brutal treatment of mentally ill patients in 1887, bringing the emergent issue to the public eye. The article also provides a historical marker and a deeper understanding to the controversy in the late 1800s. The personal account was published in newspaper renown for sparking investigations of insane asylums calling for a change in policy. “Ten Days in a Mad-House”, can be further explained and discerned by an added understanding of treatment of the mentally ill in Bly’s present time by researching about attitude towards insane patients in the late 1800’s. 

Bly describes her time in the insane asylum from convincing the doctors she is insane by having amnesia to her last day there. Similarly, “Mad in America: Bad Science, Bad Medicine, and the Enduring Mistreatment of the Mentally Ill”, a book written by Robert Whitaker that discusses the history of insane asylum cures. Although it was written it the 2000’s, it examines the unethical treatment of mentally ill patients in the past. Whitaker describes many treatments such as a spinning and tranquilizer chair. In some cases, needle showers and water treatments were also used in asylums (Whitaker 27). Whitaker wrote his book from many different personal accounts like Nellie Bly’s. Bly established an advanced style of writing called stunt journalism, where the journalist immerses him or herself into the situation in order to create an authentic and narrative account of the situation.  This caused more studies and undercover plans to unfold improper treatment of ill people. Whitaker was inspired by other psychiatric research. In a study, scientist gave ill patients chemicals to induce and increase schizophrenia in hopes to cure it. Upon more research, Whitaker noticed unfavorable outcomes had increased in the past twenty years. A Harvard study that Whitaker writes about claims that if a mentally ill patients were treated in the US he or she would be more likely to worsen that if they had been treated in another country (Whitaker 27). 

Furthermore, to many other scientists’ chagrin and distaste, “Mad in America” makes the point that mental illness medicines have not improved, that old ways have just been tweaked to look new and improved. Similarly, Bly’s work reveals the truth and argues the morals used actually dull patient’s brains and silence them from speaking out. Whitaker reveals many cures just induce brain damage because they are so harmful to the human body. The book claims that in the late 1700’s early 1800’s and during the French Revolution mentally ill patients were treated kindly and many had good outcomes. Then the book talks about how attitudes changed toward mentally ill patients and how the therapies altered, especially toward schizophrenic patients (Whitaker 2). 

The history of mental illness treatment has been a well-studied topic since journalists like Bly revealed the truths and remedy styles. “The History of Mental Illness” by Allison Foerschner describes deadly “cures” to bipolar or chronically depressed patients. Electroconvulsive therapy was used, which sends small electric currents through the body. As the currents pass though the brain it thought to change brain chemistry and can reverse mental illnesses. If this did not work patients were required to have brain surgery. Surgeons preformed lobotomies, which removed parts of the brain in hopes to removed the part the caused the patient to go crazy. The procedure started by shocking patients into a coma and severing the nerves that connected to the part of the brain that controls emotion. This procedure worked at first but then created bland personalities that were immature, monotone, or lethargic. Many patients also became impulsive, which kept them in asylums for life (Foerschner). Bly describes many of these characteristics of other patients in her account. These harsh treatments could be a probable cause for patient’s actions. Like Whitaker explains, patients are more likely to worsen due to treatment than recover (Whitaker 4). Another probable cause of the dull personalities is intense drugs and chemicals. “The History of Mental Illness” describes giving patients such as chloryl hydrate, bromides, barbiturates, and Lithium. Valium soon became a tranquilizer but symptoms caused depression so Prozac was created in the late 1900’s (Foerschner 1).  Because Bly was not a severe patient due to the fact she was pretending, she did not endue harsh treatments. Although she did witness bruises, cuts burns, and incision marks on others. 

“Ten Days in a Mad-House” relates to the historical research because they are all about the mistreatment of mentally ill patients. Nellie Bly pretends she has schizophrenia so she can record accounts and experiences in an asylum. Similar to Whitaker’s research, Bly is put in a cold bath as a treatment to cure her. She is then ordered to sleep without clothes and the caretaker says that it does not matter how comfortable she is. This statement backs ups Whitaker’s research that many patients were treated like animals, tied up and told what to do (Whitaker 2). Both Bly and Whitaker discuss the asylums using fear and pain to get the patients to obey orders. Bly talks about being locked up and her fear that if there was a fire she would be left to die. She also writes that she was tied to ropes so she could go on walks. Foerschner describes the effects of these treatments in common with Bly’s description of bland personalities due to being over drugged (Foerschner 1).

 Both “Mad in America” and “The History of Mental Illness” claim asylums are harming the patients more than they are helping them. Bly witnesses a patient being chocked for hours because she was upset, screaming, and crying. Because Bly was not actually mentally ill she did not go through many horrifying “cures” that are discussed in by many current doctors of psychology such as bloodletting and shocking. Despite a few minor details and experiences, the events that occur when Bly stayed at the mad house were talked about in Whitaker’s “Mad in America”. “The History of Mental Illness” can provide evidence to the lethargic or irrational personalities that Bly see’s first hand. Similarities between research and Bly’s accounts reveal the immoral torment of mental patients throughout history and both are a cry for change. “Ten Days in a Mad-House” by Nellie Bly is not just her journal of events but a historical marker that set in motion the public call for change of treatments of mentally ill patients. By understanding the treatment of the mentally ill and examining the various methods, the reasons for writing  “Ten Days in a Mad-House” becomes apparent. Nellie Bly sparked a new type of metal hysteria in her quest to demand proper treatment methods as she unveils to the public the harsh correctional “medications”. 






