Dorothea Dix – An Inspiration for Change
Dorothea Lynde Dix (April 4, 1802 – July 17, 1887) was an effective American advocate on behalf of the indigent mentally ill.
Through a vigorous and sustained program of lobbying state legislatures and the United States Congress, successfully reformed treatment of the indigent mentally ill and created the first generation of American institutions for the mentally challenged .
Doreatha overcame her own mental health issues, an abusive childhood and depression to conduct statewide investigations and document the conditions of the poor mentally ill and female prisoners. She saw how these individuals were locked up and their medical needs weren't being satisfied since only private hospitals would have such provisions.
It was during her time at the East Cambridge prison, that she visited the basement where she encountered four mentally ill individuals, whose cells were "dark and bare and the air was stagnant and foul". She also saw how such individuals were labeled as "looney paupers" and were being locked up along with violently deranged criminals