Canada’s mental health history, reflects those similar to European and American records as well.

Throughout the
19th-20th century, individuals with mental illness have been stigmatized and discriminated against (canada.ca, 2).
It wasn’t until the mid-20th century people began to realize the harmful effects these institutions had on
individuals and started developing more community, and human forms of treating such individuals.
~The first recorded asylum in the western word was in 1390 during the Middle Ages, it was named “St. Mary of Bethlehem (called
“Bedlam”)” and was located in England (Ives, 298) ~

19TH CENTURY: RISE OF THE ASYLUMS

Foundation of the Asylums
- State building campaign; surrounding moral and humanitarian treatments
- Rapid industrialization alongside urbanization and colonization; helped create large asylums, with “good” living
conditions

Before the combining of Upper and Lower Canada during Confederation

when Canada formed into a country, those displaying signs of mental illness
were segregated away from general society and either; locked up or under
assigned care by family member or the church. These individuals were not
seen as they were “curable” and then collectively deemed as “non-
functioning” members of society and as “insane” (canada.ca, 3).
Asylums began the process of institutionalization, by creating a place to
house, and contain those identified with a mental illness. The also were
created to provide decent living conditions to those unable to attain such
provisions themselves (canada.ca, 3).

Brandon Asylum 1891; Brandon Insane Hospital 1912; Brandon Hospital for Mental
Diseases 1919; Brandon Mental Health Centre 1972; (aftertheasylum.ca)
 DEFINITION:
Asylum
“a place of refuge and protection for people with long term mental illness who do not require acute hospital treatment,
but do require ongoing supervision, care and treatment in a community facility or institution”
(canada.ca, 3)

2
 1900-1960: INSTITUTIONALIZATION
The treatment of the individuals within the asylums were isolating and depressing due to the knowledge of spending the
rest of their lives there, they were voluntarily admitted or involuntarily so and thus put into a locked ward (canada.ca, 4).
The treatments they were attempting to use were: occupational/industrial therapy, combined with recreational and social
activities (canada.ca, 4).
Patient Labour was also seen as a way to make the institutions “self-sufficient”

Gendered Discourse:
Within the Institutions walls there was discrimination surrounding accessibility of resources and programs, and
the quality of accommodations, as well as the treatment options enforced on the individual upon admission.
(Dyck, 184)

3
 THE STRUCTURAL RESHAPING OF THE MENTAL HEALTH
SYSTEM
1908: “The League for the Protection of the Feebleminded”
- McLaren (1990) recognized this as the first movement of its kind in attempt to promote the practices of
eugenics
- Concern for the well-being and “control of the feebleminded”
(eugenicsarchive.ca)

1909: Eugenics Review published.

Published by the Galton Institute, in efforts to increase expansion within society and to place Eugenic theory on scientific basis

• Internationally recognized

• Covered legislation , biology birth control, book reviews, and social issues
(eugenicsarchive.ca)

1910: Canada enacted the Immigration Act

This was due to the increase in settlers and immigrants from overseas coming to Canada. Immigrant and minority groups
found themselves at a disadvantage when it came to accessing mental health services. The government denied their entry into
“prohibited classes” putting the undesirables into categories or classes:
- insane, deemed insane within a five year period, feebleminded individuals, and epileptics
- Those with a contagious or infectious disease, a danger to the public health
- Immigrants who are physically defective (dumb, blind) unless state otherwise by the Board of Inquiry
- Those convicted of a crime
- Prostitutes and women entering the country under immoral circumstances.
- Beggars or homeless individuals
- Immigrants who have been given money by a charitable organization
(eugenicsarchive.ca)
4
March 1, 1928: Alberta passes first legislature for a
Bill to sterilize the “unfit”
Sexual Sterilizations
Alberta and British Columbia governments authorized such
therapeutic treatments, based solely on mental incompetence and/or
deficits. Psychiatrists and other professionals were seeking to find a
scientifically rooted biological explanation for these “dysfunctional”
behaviours, intellectual deficiencies, and lack of mental competence
(Dyck, 185).
Repealed in 1972 in Alberta and in 1973 in BC (eugenicsarchive.ca)

In the institutions work was intended to function as a major

component in one’s therapeutic process, seen as to improve
their education, create a better morale, disciplinary habits,
and more responsibility
(Dyck, 183)

1930: Eugenic Society formed in Canada

These theories were abandoned in the later half of the 20th century due to conflicting
implications regarding the Nazi parties similar goals and methods of practice
(eugenicsarchives.ca)

1933: Manitoba passes Mental Deficiency Act

(http://www.theendofhistory.net)

5
 MEDICAL MODELS FOR TREATMENTS 1939-1945
Attempted biological explanations for mental disorders
They did so by enforcing inhumane and invasive
treatments upon those with a mental disorder:

“Somatic Therapies” 1938 (CMHA)

Psychiatric treatments such as hydrotherapy, insulin
coma, lobotomy (pyscho-surgery) were common, however
such treatments have since been abandoned (canada.ca,
4).
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) 1945
(CMHA)
Originally administered without medication, or relaxants,
following such a traumatic treatment, individuals would
experience seizures, high blood pressure, changes in
heartbeat, and spinal fractures (canada.ca, 4)

However the unsuccessful rates the doctors were

having upon administering such treatments, decreased the belief in the ability and success of such
therapies.

6
 INFLUENTIAL THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES, AND STUDIES

Ideological shifts increased the challenges posed for those considered

vulnerable persons

‘Anti-Psychiatry’ Perspectives

Micheal Foucault; French Philosopher

Ideas about individuals behaviour, and reasons for moral decision making and reasoning
Blamed the psychiatric profession for misuse of power, creating strict and rigid social determinants about
acceptable and unacceptable behaviours by enforcing ideas of normalcy
(Dyck, 188)
Erving Goffman; Contemporary Scholar of Foucault
“total institution”
Described the damaging effects of living within the asylums for both patients and staff: became accustomed to the roles
there were assigned inside the institutions
(Dyck, 188)
Catherine Duprey
Duprey’s study in Quebec in the 1950/60’s challenged institutional authority, attributing these challenges due to relevant
and broader political and cultural shifts
(Dyck, 188)

7
 POST WAR EFFECTS

After the first World War; many soldiers were coming back and demonstrating “shell shock”, showing
signs of psychological, emotional, social and physical stress (canada.ca, 4).
Led to a increase in need for psychiatric interventions with post war individuals facing traumatic post war effects as well as the
contribution of psychodynamic theory. This reshaped the structural outcomes of the mental health system and led to new
developmental changes (Dyck, 186)

1948: Dominion Mental Health Grants

funded by the federal government for the improvement of training and services, also helped fund campaigns to help
increase awareness surrounding children/infants with mental illness
1950: Canada developed the Universal HealthCare System
Each province/territory is in charge of the distribution of services
Roughly 66,000 patients in psychiatric hospitals in Canada, outnumbering those patients in other hospitals (canada.ca, 5)
Federal government starting reconstructing, reshaping, and creating programs for these individuals/groups
Family allowances, unemployment insurance, health care (Dyck, 182)

1951: First Mental Health Week

1952: APA classifications of Mental Disorders, also known as The Diagnostics

and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders
(Dyck, 186)

8
 EFFORTS TO PROMOTE, AND DE-STIGMATIZE

1958: Canadian Association for Community Living

With the goal of “the inclusion and human rights of people with intellectual disabilities and their families”
(eugenicsarchives.ca)

Canadian Mental Health Association

sought to seek legislative changes in language used in identifying one with mental illness.
(canada.ca, 5)

Gerald Grob
Scholar in Mental Health field in the US found there to be several distinct factors contributing to
deinstitutionalization. However, this idealogical framework has not emerged fully in Canada but is creating one based
on American and European models.
He suggested 4 aspects that contributed to the shift towards deinstitutionalization:
1. Psychotropic medications, and other changes within psychiatry (private practice, increased dependancy on general
practitioners
2. More federal funding directed towards research into mental disorders
3. Always changing political and economic climate, and the deconstruction of the welfare state
4. Rise of human rights and humanitarian campaigns and activist groups

9
 1960-1990: DEINSTITUTIONALIZATION
“(…)deinstitutionalization is not merely the administrative discharge of patients. It is a complex process in which de-hospitalization should lead to
the implementation of a network of alternatives outside mental hospitals(…) It has become increasingly clear that if adequate funding and human
resources for the establishment of alternative community-based services do not accompany deinstitutionalization, people with mental disorders
may have access to fewer mental health services and existing services may be stretched beyond capacity”
(canada.ca, 5)

The Mental Health System changed from one contained form of

service, to a multidimensional framework of services, not directly
under one direct government legislation
Due to HealthCare re-organization and shutting down of long
term psychiatric facilities
(Wiley)
(http://www.pacificchiton.com/spruced-up/)

Post asylum, work for patients previously obtained

within the institution were replaced with, sheltered workshops that weren’t directly interacting
with public competition, but still competing at the same market level. (Dyck, 183)

10
 Institutional psychiatry changed due to new theories, perspectives, behaviours, and
discoveries about human behaviour .
There also was a push to end the incarceration of those diagnosed or presenting symptoms of mental illness;
this led to the creation of rights based movements and activism groups

1958: Canadian Association for Community Living

Goal: “the inclusion and human rights of people with intellectual disabilities and their families”
(eugenicsarchives.ca)

MEDICARE
Helped solidify the way services were distributed and merged
psychiatric facilities with the mental health system
HOUSING
Experienced isolation, and separation from general public due to stigmas,
and views surrounding mental illness, and vulnerability in their new
environment.

Disability Rights Movement, Activism Groups

Needs of individuals in the community post-discharge:
Better access to services/basic health services
Adequate housing
Voting rights
Anti-stigma
Obtaining safe employment
(Dyck, 188)
(http://studymore.org.uk/mhhtim.htm)-photo

11
1963: Betty Friedan
“the problem that has no name” used this phrase to described the gender discourses being faced in the areas of mental health
Introduction of pharmaceutical therapies (Miltown, Valium) were accessible upon physicians orders, mainly to behaviours expressed by
women such as “depressive or anxious”

Argued that these therapies replaced the care in the asylum setting, but did not replace the care and attention needed outside the
asylum walls, from both individual and physician. These displays of gender and ideas about sexuality shaped ways that mental health
was understood, sometimes labeling them as “dysfunctional” members of society
(Dyck, 182-185)

1957-1968: Matthews Smith

Compared healthy children according to Western ideals, with those who had attention deficit disorders; results showed girls more likely
to display such traits, versus boys who appeared on the other end of the spectrum: Girls: listless or disengaged (deficit) // Boys:
hyperactive and uncontrollable (attention) (Dyck, 185).

1974 Ontario implemented the Developmental Services Act

Transferred responsibility from Minister of Health to Minister of Community Services
1977-1986 two five year plans were created to help community living arrangement opportunities for
people with disabilities
1980 Independent Living Movement introduced (Dignity of Risk)
Committee raised awareness for challenges faced by disabled individuals, and how they have a right to
equal and fair access to services and programs
1982; Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom
1985: Human Rights Act

12