Dorothea Dix - An Early Nursing Pioneer and Patient Advocate

Excellent, Vickie. I enjoyed this article. Brings a smile to my face.

Thanks for the post, I enjoyed it.

me too. thanks for posting it.

What a great article!
I learned about Dorothea Dix when I was in nursing school, during my psych rotation, where we trained at Dixmont State Hospital outside of Pittsburgh. It was a large institution, with many of the original buildings still standing. In the subbasement, there was a tunnel leading up from the river, where the rich families from the late 18 and early 1900's sent their mentally ill family members in the cover of darkness to be institutionalized there. There was a very large population there in the late 70's when I was in school. I received a good psych education, and learned first hand about a rare diagnosis called "folie a deux" from a set of elderly twin women who resided there.
In the late 80's or early 90's, they closed many psychiatric institutions across the country including Dixmont. I often wonder about those poor people, and where they ended up.
The buildings are still standing but falling apart. The place is slated to be razed in the near future....
to make way for a Super Wal-Mart!

I am taking my first graduate class, and my group is assigned to Dorothea Dix. I am finding her life very interesting with a lot of likenesses to my own life including being a teacher and now going back to nursing and wanting to work with the mentally ill-making nursing care better for them. Thanks for posting this article. Krisssy

gr8rnpjt, I volunteered at Dixmont as a high schooler in the 60's. I'd spend summers and winter weekend days there. I learned compassion, composure and a great love for the residents. It was a time when drug therapy was not nearly as successful as it is now so it could get, um, "disorganized". I was fortunate to be able to work on the wards and in the clinical psychologists' offices.
Thanks for the article and thanks for reminding me of those poignant times.