The establishment or enlargement of more than 30 institutions for the rehabilitation of the mentally impaired was made possible by Dorothea Dix’s efforts. She was a crucial player in the national and worldwide initiatives that addressed the notion that persons suffering from mental illnesses could not be treated or assisted. She was also a vocal opponent of harsh and negligent methods directed towards the mentally ill, such as solitary confinement, detention without clothes, and severe physical constraint (Spalding, 1999). Dix’s firsthand experience with mental instability may have motivated her to devote her life to asylum reform. Her unwavering commitment to the cause undoubtedly resulted in some significant successes. This paper discusses how Dix advocated for more holistic patient care as a comprehensive nursing theory for assessing and supporting the mentally ill instead of a prison strategy was what Dorothea Dix established (Parry, 2006).
One of the cornerstones of Concordia’s nursing education philosophy is the concept of holistic patient care, which includes the treatment of the body, the mind, and the soul. Their psychological well-being may significantly impact their physical well-being, particularly in terms of sleep quality and recovery time. Nevertheless, this is a comparatively fresh notion in the United States, and it was only through the efforts of Dorothea Dix that this battle was finally addressed. Following a tour to the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century, Dix concluded that the United States’ health-care system was woefully insufficient to treat mentally ill individuals. Aside from incarcerating people in conventional jails with the criminal population or, worse, keeping them in filthy asylums, we had any organized system for providing care for the mentally ill in the United Kingdom (Michel, 1994).
Formation and establishment of Dix’s Theory
In 1841, a seemingly insignificant occurrence happened that would forever alter Dix’s life and many other people’s lives. A theological student who had been unsuccessful in her effort to teach a Bible study to women in prison sought Dix’s counsel in England. She decided to conduct the lesson alone, but after seeing the circumstances of imprisonment, she realized that something needed to be done. It was not only prison unheated, but it also held convicts, the mentally sick, and youngsters with weak mental faculties all in the same building (Parry, 2006).
She had never been one to avoid what she saw to be her responsibility, so she launched a reform movement. Following the successful acquisition of a court order for the prison’s heating, Dix conducted an extensive study on the issues of mental disorders and current remedies. She quickly became as knowledgeable as everyone else in the field (Smark, 2005). She attended several prisons and facilities for the needy around Massachusetts to broaden her expertise. She discovered that the circumstances were far odd than anticipated, and she meticulously documented her observations. After completing her investigation, she had a well professional doctor deliver her results to the Massachusetts legislature, urging them to provide funding for establishing a mental health hospital. This attempt was a success, and it gave Dix the confidence to expand the reform to other jurisdictions (Parry, 2006).
Over a decade, Dorothea Dix has collected intelligence and invited well-known governmental people to deliver her conclusions to state legislatures. She has done so for more than ten years. Many new hospitals were created, while old ones were upgraded. To offer superior mental health care while also establishing a healing environment for the recoverable crazy and pleasant lodging for the hopeless, Dix established a residential treatment facility. Dorothea decided to take a break from her work when her proposal for government assistance for the mentally ill was turned down. She travelled to Europe to get some relaxation. However, after she arrived, she became aware of the injustices between their governmental and non – governmental mental facilities and began advocating for change in those settings (Smark, 2005).
Since health issues throughout her life had afflicted her, Dix found herself in Europe seeking treatment. While there, she met with prominent social reform activists working on topics such as the care of the mentally ill and the impoverished in Britain. Incredulous that Britain was modernizing its mental health institutions, shifting them away from jail-like circumstances and toward an acute treatment center with gardens and functional therapy, Dix expressed his surprise at the reforms. She carried this change with her to the United States, where she formed the North Carolina State Medical Society in 1849, which was established to coordinate the treatment of the state’s mentally ill residents (Michel, 1994). If this transformation had not occurred, mentally ill individuals in the United States might have proceeded to be treated as wards of the criminal justice system.
When Dix returned to the United States in 1856, she resumed her mental health reform efforts, but at that time, the country was split over the subject of slavery. When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, Dix felt compelled to serve his country and enlisted to do so. As Superintendent of United States Army Nurses, she became one of the most renowned nurses in existence, a post she held until her death in 1887. Although she was not educated as a nurse, her outstanding intelligence, research abilities, and previous experiences equipped her to perform well in the position. First aid stations were to be put up; nurses were to be hired; medical supplies were to be purchased; training camps and field hospitals were to be organized (Smark, 2005). Her most significant roadblocks were her inability to interact with others and deal with bureaucracy. However, she persisted even though many nurses and physicians saw her dictatorial. She guaranteed that the injured got excellent treatment and continued to advocate on their account years after the war ceased.
Application of the concept
As a pioneering leader in the fight to alter the care of the mentally ill in America, She based the initiative on the actions and beliefs of her counterparts in England, William Rathbone III and William Tuke, who lived in the same time period as her. Her peer activists in the United States followed her example. Dix was instrumental in bringing about significant legislative and administrative reform in aid of the mentally ill all across the United States.. Furthermore, she had an impact on the development of hospitals as well as the training of hospital employees (Brown, 1998).
Dix’s life is a testament to his dedication to those who are impoverished and unwelcome in society. She devoted a significant amount of her life to teaching disadvantaged children who could not otherwise afford to attend formal school. She subsequently devoted the rest of her life, almost entirely on her own initiative, improving the way in which the mentally ill were treated. She did not get a large sum of money in exchange for her pledges, but she made use of the resources and political contacts she had at her disposal to achieve a difference in the lives of people in need. In reality, she spent the final five decades of her life, frequently in the wards of the health facilities she created, and she was the first woman to do so (Viney & Zorich, 1982).
Conclusion
Dix’s preferred type of care, -a holistic All through Dix’s life, she fought for social change. Her advocacy for improved mental health treatment led to the revamping of several institutions both in the United States and overseas. Her unwavering efforts and heartfelt testimony exposed the appalling conditions in current institutions and stressed the inherent value of care and support. As a role model , she impacted the society by building hospital-like State Hospital, the good care the mentally ill patients well taken. She also equality in terms of care of the marginalized people, especially the women.
References
Brown, T. J. (1998). Dorothea Dix: New England Reformer(Vol. 127). Harvard University Press.
Michel, S. (1994). Dorthea Dix; or, the Voice of the Maniac. Discourse, 17(2), 48-66.
Parry, M. S. (2006). Dorothea Dix (1802–1887). American Journal of Public Health, 96(4), 624- 625.
Smark, C. J. (2005). Dorothea Dix: A social researcher and reformer.
Spalding, J. (1999). Dorothea Dix: New England reformer.
Viney, W., & Zorich, S. (1982). Contributions to the history of psychology: XXIX. Dorothea Dix and the history of psychology. Psychological Reports, 50(1), 211-218.
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