One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film) (1 Viewer)

[krazedrealitii]

I have an assessment for psychology based on the film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". It's only based on the film, not the book. I know this is a long shot but does anyone know about:
-the depiction of the use of psychosurgery
-the accuracy of institutionalism inside the psychiatric hospital
-the medical and societal attitudes depicted
in the film?

And if not, just general information about what psychiatric hospitals were like around 50 years ago, and what they are like now?

We've just been given this after watching the film, without knowing anything about institutionalism inside these...institutions...and I can't find any info anywhere about them. So I'd be really grateful for any help. Thanks in advance!

 

[Lucid Scintilla]

Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was a mind-blowing novel that my class studied last year.

The depiction of the use of psychosurgery is historically apt, as they did, in fact, shock unruly and recalcitrant patients. Also, back then, it just took a person to admit you to the institution ("the system"), and then you'd be in there, until they found you fit to join society.

Shock therapy, introduced in the mid-30's (IIRC), was supposedly to "fix" patients; ironically, this exacerbated the conditions of the patients. Modern day psychology has shown that ECT suppresses emerging distressing material of a patient's psyche; suppresses the patient's ability to heal by emotional releases - e.g. through anger, sorrow; creates even more emotional distress, despair, and shame.

In modern-day times, ECT is still used, for "treating" catatonia, depression, and mania. It's just as horrible nowadays as it was 50 or so year ago (as you see in OFOtCN). Thankfully, the decline of its usage begun many a decade ago.

Hopefully that helps.

If you want a depiction of the institutions of now, I recommend you see for yourself.