Date of Award
8-7-2024
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
History
First Advisor
Dr. Marni Davis
Second Advisor
Dr. John McMillian
Abstract
Located in Milledgeville, Georgia, Central State Hospital once held the title of the World’s Largest Mental Asylum. At its height in the early 1960s, the institution reached a permanent population of over 12,000 people. This institution saw people from all social classes enter its doors. Through the observation of the closure of this asylum, the importance of both this location and Georgia’s role in mental healthcare provided a clear timeline for the evolution of treatment for mental health and disability today. Additionally, the effects of decentralization and after deinstitutionalization are most clear following the changes undergone at this asylum during the years during which Rosalynn Carter was politically active, both at the state and national levels. By constructing this timeline, the fallout of the deinstitutionalization of mental asylums within other public issues is visible, which include education, incarceration, and homelessness.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/37393272
Recommended Citation
Kassum, Haley Michelle, "Closing the World's Largest Mental Asylum." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/37393272
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