Dorothea Dix Research Paper

Destiny CoePeriod: 1stNovember 20, 2017Dorothea DixDorothea Lynde Dix had a hard childhood, but realized early on in her career that mentally ill people deserved better facilities to live. Dorothea Dix was an American activists on the behalf of the indigent mentally ill. She was a school teacher for twenty-four years and then she became a nurse. She is best known for her advocacy in fighting for the improvement in jails and mental asylums. (truthaboutnursing.org). Dorothea Dix created the first generation of American mental asylums. Dorothea Dix worked hard to fight for mentally ill people and earned her place in history. She was very dedicated to her work of fighting for the mentally ill that she spent …show more content…
She wrote several bills such as, the Bill of the Benefit of the Indigent Insane. In this bill she was asking for asylums for the indigent insane, the deaf, and the blind. She helped open the first mental asylums in North America and Europe.After the Civil War, Dix resumed to her career as an advocate for the mentally ill. (anb.org). She dedicated the rest of her life to improving the lives of the mentally ill, before retiring at the age of 82. (truthaboutnursing.org). During her life she helped make significant changes in the care of the mentally ill and prisoners. Dorothea Dix’s work influenced conceptions about those held in prisons and asylums by identifying mental illness as a medical issue instead of a moral issue. (anb.org). "It was Dorothea Lynde Dix who lifted the status [of the insane] from that of wounded beasts who were brutalized, chained, thrown food as though they were vicious dogs, and left to freeze in the cold, to that of troubled mortals who could be helped to regain their senses as they received understanding care that helped them reach the roots of their inner disturbances.” (anb.org). Dorothea Dix died in 1887 at the age of 85, in Trenton, New Jersey.Dorothea Dix started out with a rough childhood, but pushed passed it and became one of the greatest advocates for mentally ill people. She did a lot of wonderful work from teaching young women, being a good nurse,

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