A tale of two centuries: Voices of the past and present

This article compares the reported experiences of children and adolescents receiving inpatient treatment in contemporary psychiatric hospital settings with those of women institutionalized in mental hospitals from 1840 to 194 5. Qualitative data include case study material from former psychiatrically hospitalized patients and archival narratives. Analysis includes matching themes from in-depth interviews with archival narratives. Nine representati ve experiences emerged and are presented in a typology under broader themes of structure, process, and outcome. Similarity of patient experiences over two centuries leads to questions about the meaning of advances in understa nding mental illnesses in the context of attitudes, biases, and staff behav ior toward patients that remains disturbingly unchanged. Copyright (C) 1998 by W.B. Saunders Company.