Sanity collapsed in the colony ‘under the weight of the vast indifference of nature, of loneliness and mockery’ said historian Manning Clark, but what happened next? Colonial NSW was rife with mental illness – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, brain injuries, the consequences of poor nutrition and hygiene, socially sanctioned alcoholism, widespread Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and the physical and psychological brutality of the society, all resulted in extreme psychological vulnerability.  What were the consequences for the community, for families, and for stable governance?  What were the provisions for care?  And how much did conditions really improve in the 20th century?

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

COURSE OUTLINE

• 1788: general incarceration
• 1811: Castle Hill Lunatic Asylum
• 1825: Liverpool Lunatic Asylum
• 1838: Tarban Creek (Gladesville) Asylum
• 1879: Office of the Inspector General of Mental Hospitals
• 1900: Separation of mental illness and “mental retardation”
• 1950s: Medication
• 1983: Richmond Report – deinstitutionalisation

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Explore the evolution of mental health provisions from 1788 onwards with regards to causes, treatments and facilities.
2. Discover the key figures who implemented reforms and policies