Routledge Psychiatry for the Rich - Ticehurst Private Asylum History

Explore the hidden history of private mental health institutions with Psychiatry for the Rich. In this study, Charlotte MacKenzie examines the Ticehurst asylum in Sussex from 1792 to 1917. While the nineteenth-century madhouse is a common theme in popular culture, the specific realities of private institutions remain largely unknown. This book provides a detailed social history of madness by looking at the impact of politics and public opinion on psychiatric care. MacKenzie investigates the backgrounds of individual patients and includes their own descriptions of life within the asylum. Readers will learn how the institution changed through various lunacy reforms and shifting medical theories. By examining the Ticehurst asylum, this work challenges many accepted views of the Victorian asylum system and offers a new perspective on how the wealthy experienced mental healthcare during this era.