Mental: A History of the Madhouse

Overview

Documentary which tells the fascinating and poignant story of the closure of Britain's mental asylums. In the post-war period, 150,000 people were hidden away in 120 of these vast Victorian institutions all across the country. Today, most mental patients, or service users as they are now called, live out in the community and the asylums have all but disappeared. Through powerful testimonies from patients, nurses and doctors, the film explores this seismic revolution and what it tells us about society's changing attitudes to mental illness over the last sixty years.

Details

Status

Released

Release date

May 25, 2010

Original language

English

Countries

United Kingdom

Production

BBC,Blakeway Associates

Cast

Tamsin Greig,Peter Barham,Maggi Chapman

Director

Chris Boulding

Writer

Peter Scott,Chris Boulding

Producer

Adam Jessel

Budget

Not recorded

Revenue

Not recorded

IMDb

tt1663170