25 Terrifying Facts About Real Life Asylums

Insane asylums, now known as mental hospitals, have been the talk of horror movies for years, even inspiring the season of the television series “American Horror Story: Asylum.” Unfortunately, much of what you see on television isn’t too far from the truth.

The harsh reality is that the truth is a lot darker than any television series or movie has ever shown.

 When journalist Nellie Bly went undercover at one such asylum in 1887, she discovered the truths of these institutions…

Patients Had No Privacy

Patients in a hospital rarely had any time to themselves. Nearly everything they did involved assistants or other people to be in the room. Everyone would eat in the same communal dining space. The bedrooms would sleep up to 10 or more people.

Even bathing was not something done alone; it was a form of treatment, so an attendant had to be present.

Nightly Screamings

When Nellie Bly went undercover to expose the horrific conditions of these asylums, she reported hearing multiple screams from women throughout the night. There were screams of women yelling, “Murder!” As well as others who begged for death.

Based on the conditions of these hospitals, it would only make sense for this to be a nightly occurrence.

A Rigged Admissions Process

The admissions process for an asylum was lengthy. It began with a medical examination that was followed by an interview and psychiatric evaluations. Unfortunately, since most patients were admitted against their will, most doctors would skew the results in favor of the hospital.

Some patients were accused of taking drugs to explain certain behaviors.

Not Just For Adults

Children were sent to asylums for a multitude of reasons. A child could have a birth deformity, epilepsy, a developmental disability, or a bad temperament. However, instead of calling these institutions hospitals, they were called schools.

So if parents had to explain the absence of a child, they would say, “they’ve been sent away to school.”