Episode 11: Institutional Cruelty

For centuries, mental illness wasn’t treated… it was controlled. In this episode, we step inside the brutal history of insane asylums and early psychiatric “care,” beginning with Bethlem Royal Hospital, where madness became public spectacle. From there, we trace the rise of lobotomies in the United States and examine the therapies that promised healing while delivering silence: insulin comas, ice baths, rotational chairs, hysteria diagnoses, and institutional abuse at places like Willowbrook State School. These weren’t cures. They were compliance—disguised as medicine. Original music in this episode is provided by the talented: SHDWLRKR www.MorbidHistoryPod.com