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Care and Custody: Past Responses to Mental Health

A traveling exhibition from the National Library of Medicine, hosted at the Warren Alpert Medical School, May 8 - June 17 2023

Design proposal of the Sheppard Asylum near Baltimore, MD by Calvert Vaux, 1860
Design proposal of the Sheppard Asylum near Baltimore, MD by Calvert Vaux, 1860. Courtesy of National Library of Medicine.

This traveling banner exhibition and companion website explores the treatment of people with mental health conditions throughout history, especially in the United States, bringing to light the tension that has existed between care and custody. Physicians, advocates, families, and government agencies have all contributed to the shaping of mental health policies. Care and Custody examines this history to understand how the country has moved away from custodial forms of treatment, toward more inclusive approaches, and worked to protect the rights of people with mental health conditions.

The National Library of Medicine produced this exhibition and companion website, in conjunction with Public Health Historian and Educator, Anne E. Parsons, PhD (University of North Carolina at Greensboro)

Please use the navigation on the left to discover more about this exhibit and answer any questions you may have.