Myths, Minds & Medicine

Myths, Minds, and Medicine: Two Centuries of Mental Health Care, is a permanent, museum-quality exhibition that explains the dramatic changes that have occurred over the past 200 years in our perception and attempts at treatment for people afflicted with mental illness.

It takes the viewer from a time when the mentally ill— thought to be possessed by evil spirits— were kept in chains and even cages, through the principles of “Moral Treatment” on which The Institute of Living was founded, to more modern-day approaches that included such desperate measures as insulin shock therapy, crude electroconvulsive therapy, and lobotomy. The culmination of the exhibition is a look at present-day treatment and brain chemistry research that will lead to better forms of care in the future, aided by the display of a human brain.

Myths, Minds, and Medicine is the result of several years of research conducted by historians hired through a grant the Institute of Living received from the Connecticut Humanities Council. Documents, artifacts, items of interest, letters, and old photos were gathered from the Institute of Living’s attics, basements, and closed-up offices to form the basis for the exhibition. The decision was made early on to tell the full story of medicine’s well-intentioned, but sometimes erroneous attempts at finding ways to alleviate suffering. The patients themselves tell part of the poignant story, as recorded voices recreate some of the letters found in the Institute of Living’s archives. An entirely reconstructed patient bedroom from the early 1900s invites viewers to place themselves in the shoes of those who sought care at the Institute of Living.

Educational Aspect

Myths, Minds, and Medicine is designed to be educational and to appeal to students. It is a self-guided tour that will aid teachers in helping to dispel some of the myths as well as the stigma attached to mental illness.

Location and Hours of Operation

Myths, Minds, and Medicine is located on the 2nd floor of the Commons Building and is open to the public weekdays from 9 AM to 5 PM*.

*Note: The exhibit is currently closed for renovations.

For More Information

Call: 860.545.7665 or 860.545.7324

Email: Paula.Rego@hhchealth.org

rev. 5.26.21