Clifford Beers

Clifford Beers believed his mental collapse was precipitated by his elder brother’s illness and eventual death from it. The brother had enjoyed perfect health previous to his sudden illness, and Beers found himself fixating on the idea of his likewise becoming suddenly ill and dying of the same epileptic-like condition that had killed his brother. Eventually Beers tried to commit suicide and additionally fell prey to paranoia and hallucinations; he eventually entered an insane asylum.

Beers differs from Grimes (see last two posts) in that he described both his own mental state during his breakdown, and life in the various asylums where he spent time recovering.

He described going into a violent ward: “Clad in nothing but underclothes, I was thrust into a cell. Few, if any, prisons in this country contain worse holes than this cell proved to be. It was about six feet wide by ten long. A patient confined here must lie on the floor with no substitute for a bed but with one or two felt druggets (blanket-like material). For over a month I was kept in a half-starved condition. Worst of all, winter was approaching and these, my first quarters, were without heat.”

Beers recovered from his breakdown and went on the found the National Committee for Mental Hygiene, the precursor to the National Mental Health Association.

Beers' Book About His Experience

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