Mysteries of Mental Illness

Experimental Treatments and the Rise of Eugenics

By the early 20th century, mental asylums had become extremely overcrowded, and very little was known about how to treat these patients. Out of view from the public eye, desperate doctors experimented with new treatments. When treatments failed, patients were labeled biologically defective, fueling the Eugenics program, and the involuntary sterilization of thousands of patients.

Experimental Treatments and the Rise of Eugenics

5m 47s

  • Dr. Igda Martinez  | Decolonizing Mental Health: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Dr. Igda Martinez | Decolonizing Mental Health

    3m 24s

    Deconstructing stereotypes around homelessness lies at the core of Dr. Igda Martinez’s work at the Floating Hospital. For 150 years, the New York hospital has made psychiatric care available to unhoused populations who are among society’s most neglected. Shannette Champman, a mother of two, shares her experience of seeking care when she was in need of accessible mental health care.

  • Dr. Hooman Keshavarzi | Decolonizing Mental Health: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Dr. Hooman Keshavarzi | Decolonizing Mental Health

    4m 3s

    Muslims don’t often seek mental healthcare because of the dearth of services that integrate faith-based concepts into treatment practices. Instead, they seek help from family members, clergymen - people who don’t have the formal training to provide them with adequate care. Dr Hooman Keshavarzi’s Khalil Center provides that much-needed oasis that is a confluence of psychiatry and the Islamic faith.

  • Rosalba Calleros & Alan Alfaro | Decolonizing Mental Health: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Rosalba Calleros & Alan Alfaro | Decolonizing Mental Health

    5m 22s

    When a mental healthcare facility failed to approach Alan’s bipolar disorder within the context of his cerebral palsy, his mother Rosalba knew the lack lay in the under-resourced, ill-informed discriminatory system. Her resolve to find resources to treat Alan rightly, patiently, and creatively, is an example of hope for other families like theirs. But it requires tenacious and persistent advocacy.

WETA Passport

Stream tens of thousands of hours of your PBS and local favorites with WETA Passport whenever and wherever you want. Catch up on a single episode or binge-watch full seasons before they air on TV.