inside perspectives on being a patient

The New York Times reviewed a new book about an inside perspective on what it's like to be a patient in public and private mental hospitals in this country. While the review is interesting, what's even more illuminating was the historical perspective that the reviewer mentioned in her review: the adventures of intrepid reporter Nellie Bly. Nellie Bly went undercover and had herself committed to a mental institution in 1887 for the purpose of doing an investigative piece on what really went on in such institutions. Her reporting on the horrors of mental hospitals of that time scandalized people and ultimately was responsible for many reforms in hospital treatment and conditions. You can read Nellie's account at the Penn Digital library here.