Regine January 26, 2007 vintage

1954 French psychiatric hospitals

Images from psychiatric hospitals move me more than anything else. In 1954 Jean-Philippe Charbonnier documented French Psychiatric hospitals, some of the most powerful images were not published at the time due to the sensitivities of the 1950s.

Hopital Pasteur, Poitiers

Via Hugo Strikes Back.

3Comments

Add yours

1

cati on January 26, 2007 at 8:57 pm

One reason these images are moving is because this psychiatric environment is not very familiar to us. The image you’ve chosen refers to me to electroconvulsive therapy (sometimes referred to as electro-shock) involves passing sufficient electricity through the body of a patient to induce a seizure. It is currently used as a last resort for individuals with tendencies towards self-mutilation and, in some conditions, to treat depressive disorders.
It is still used in psychiatric department. I think it is controversial because of all the abuse of the treatment. There also must be other treatment. My take on it is that in electroconvulsive therapy the patient is passive and a therapist administers the stimulus, there could be method where the patient could have control over his own seizures …
2

Mark on January 29, 2007 at 12:53 pm

Truly fascinating photography. Very strong images of course, but inspiring nonetheless.
About electroshock therapy, I am no expert, but it seems there are some localized low-voltage variants available today that have the desired effect without the patient needing invasive therapy.
3

martinaf on October 30, 2010 at 11:48 am

This device is used more than ever. It’s right that the psychiatrists changed the way they use it : asking permission to the patients before, explaining a lot that this is the ultimate thing to do when the depression does not recede by other means, providing a smooth human environment when the patient is recovering from the electric shock… Nethertheless, it is almost the same as an epileptic crisis provoked artificially and even if it is not as painful as it was, it is still really perturbing. A friend of mine, my father too, had to affront it and could not sustain it.
This image is a symbolic one of the violation of the self accomplished by any cure.It is more impressive than the image of people undergoing chimical treatment – far more in use now – but also very harming.

·Comments are closed.

Share this: