Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-27
PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL
HOPE FOR SICK MINDS
Treatment of Mental Disorders Neg
lected in Unceasing Effort to
Cure Bodily Ills.

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tai hygiene. the neurotic faint will be
and frequently Is obliterated, just as In
| physical diseases.
While heredity In physical diseases
has received but scant attention. and
justly SO, the role it plays In mental
! diseases has been overstresSed. The
bugbear of family faint in mental dis
ease, as is popularity imagined. is not at
all warranted by the facts.
Another popular miSconception Is as
to the nature of mental diseases. Ac-
cording to the prevalent notion. held
even by intelligent people, all mental
disorders are simply state of mind
| and there are no essential differences
between different kinds of mental abb
normalities The real fact is that men,
tai diseases, show a variety of degree,
duration, recoverability or malignancy
equal to that shown by physical dis
eases. In mental disorders there are
mild and tranSitory, as well as severe
and chronic cases. just as there are In
diseases of the lungs. the liver, the
| stomach, ETC., some recovering ana
others persisting. This is emphasized in
| order to make it definitely clear that
there is no essential dissimilarity be-
tween mental and physical diseases.
Another popular fallacy prevalent is
that there is difference between nerv-
BUSINESS and mental disease. In reality
the difference is only one of intensity,
and in order to escape the dreaded
words, mental disease or insanity, an
artificial distinction is made.
In brief, there is no more juStifiabie
basis for the prejudice against mental
diseases than against disorders of any
other organs of the body. Mental dis
orders are intimately bound up with dis
eases Of the bodily organs. Disorders Of
the mind are just as amenable to intel
ligent scientific treatment as physical
diseases.
It follows, therefore, that the treat
ment of mental diseases must be CORE
lated with that of the whole body. Only
THUS can successful results be attained.
Work upon New York's Psychiatric
Hospital, which will occupy the city
block north of the present Bellevue Hos
pital on the East River between Twen-
ty-ninth and Thirtieth streets, already
has been begun. This new Psychiatric
Hospital will differ radically from the
old pSychiatric wards of the Bellevue
Hospital, which for so many years
housed the nervous and mental cases
for observation and distribution.
There are innumerable people suffer-
ing from mild nervous disorders who, II
treated early and promptly, recover.
The cost of private hospitals Is beyond
the means Of the wage Garner. A clerk
or SaleSg1rl develops symptoms Of ner-
vouSnesS and cannot avail herself OF
the private Sanatoria because the price
Is prohtbitiVe. Despite her illness, she
must continue to work in order to live,
or she may even have dependents. In
most instances of this kind the ner-
vouS condition gradually becomes ag.
grayated, and the unfortunate individ-
ual finally suffers definite breakdown.
Might Avert Catastrophe.
The histories OF many persons with
frank mental and nervous breakdownS"
disclose situations of this kind. II it
were possible for such distressed per-
sons to have been brought under treat
ment at the very beginning, the catas-
trophe might have been averted.
The care and treatment of problem
children are of the utmost Importance.
BY problem children is meant children
who show traits rendering them ex-
tremely difficult to control. For ex.
ample, undue restlessness, excitability,
temper tantrumS, resentfulneSS, steal.
ing, running away from home, untruth-
fitness, truancy, sexual precocity and
many other like traits. The causes Of
these behavior disorders, such as mulnu-
triton, diseased tonSilS, visual defects,
castro intestinal diseases, mild toxe.
miaS or much more serious and deep
seated organic diseases. may be the basic
factors. On the other hand, unfavor.
able environmental conditions at home
and at school may be the cause. Again,
in many the combination of some Of
the factors mentioned above may be the
source of the dificulty.
1t Is a fact that while these compare
lively trivial factors may bring about
marked behavior disorder in children, it
Is equally true that the removal of these
disorders may produce prompt relief
and recovery. 1t Is further important
to note that If children do not receive
prompt treatment for conditions of this
sort during the development and char
acter formative years there is danger
Of their acquiring delinquent habits
which may persist throughout their
lives. 1t is an unquestionable truth that
the root of criminality goes back in the
majority OF criminals, particularly in
recidivistS or repeaterS, to the period of
childhood. There Is profound truth in
the saying aScribed to Buddha, Give
me the child until the age of and you
may have him for the rest of his life"
In this connection it may be stated
that the same applies to nervous and
mental disorders. namely, that frequent
ly the foundation for a neurotic or
pSychopathic makeup is laid in child
hood. The time will come, and perhaps
1t Is not far distant. when the commu-
nifty will pour its millions into the care
OF children in public schools as a most
effective preventive measure against the
incidence of criminality. delinquency,
mental disease and social maladjust-
ments. Work along this line will I'M
QueStionably yield far-reaching results,
and there will be less need for reforma-
tories, penal institutions and State hos
pitfalls, which now tax the resources Of
the community to breaking point.