Victorian Asylums
A Dark Chapter in Mental Health History
Mental health wasn’t the only reason one might find themselves committed to an asylum in the nineteenth century. In Victorian times, any behavior that strayed from what was considered socially acceptable could be grounds for admission. These reasons included, but were not limited to:
Mania or Melancholia
Hysteria
Epilepsy
Alcoholism or Substance Abuse
Feeble-mindedness
Chronic Criminal Acts
Disruptive Behavior
So, basically anything could land you in there.
The understanding of mental health during this period was rudimentary, and the criteria for admission to asylums were often broad and arbitrary. Once admitted, patients faced the grim reality that leaving was far from guaranteed. Asylums like Colney Hatch, located in Friern Barnet, North London, were built to accommodate large numbers of patients, and Colney Hatch itself became one of the largest asylums in Europe during the Victorian era.
Colney Hatch is also the asylum one of the characters in Of Gold and Shadows happens to escape from. Who is it? Where does he (or she) go? Well, you’ll have to snatch up your copy to find out.
Or try your hand at winning a signed copy here.