Bethlem Museum of the Mind
It is estimated that in any given year one in four British adults will experience mental health problems. You probably won’t notice, because unlike a runny nose or broken leg it’s practically impossible to visually identify if someone has a mental illness. It can be confusing, maybe even scary, for both patients and their loved ones to try to comprehend an illness that can’t be seen. By presenting archives, art and historic objects associated with mental illness and the ways in which it has been treated over the last half century, the Bethlem Museum of the Mind aims to promote a more accurate understanding of mental illness as it is known today.
The museum is part of the Bethlem Royal Hospital, located in the quiet, leafy suburbs of Beckenham, approximately 40 min from Central London. The estate was previously an orchard, and a series of nature trails provide a green expanse in which staff, patients and visitors can enjoy quiet contemplation. The ancient Greek philosopher Hippocrates claimed that “walking is man's best medicine” but as you’ll learn from the museum’s sometimes shocking collection of artefacts, the treatment of mental illness wasn’t always so benign.
From manacles and straight jackets prevalent in the 1800s to electroshock therapies developed in the 1930s and radical chemical treatments explored in the 1960s, such as inducing a temporary coma by insulin injection, you’d be forgiven for wondering if some of the displays in the museum have been borrowed from the London Dungeon. It’s eye opening to read about some of these techniques and to learn that many of the advances that advise modern psychiatric treatment were only developed relatively recently. The museum has gone out of its way to ensure that those who suffered in the past are not forgotten. Historic staff and patient records have now been digitised and can be studied online or via appointment at the museum.
Through artefacts and interactive displays visitors will come to understand how mental health treatment progressed from a position of fear and restraint to one of sympathy and understanding. But to help visitors best understand what it might actually feel like to be afflicted, the museum has been filled with a large collection of artworks depicting, and often made by those with, mental illness.
Drawing and painting have long been used as a means to convey emotions that individuals can’t express in words. Anxiety. Sadness. Isolation. Loneliness. Shock. Frustration. Pain. Artworks about mental health are often filled with exaggerated poses and over-accentuated scenes, because those visuals pack a punch. With so many of these types of works on display it’s hard not to get through this museum and not be affected by the evocative imagery. The museum also puts on special art exhibitions in a separate wing, and additional displays of contemporary art, often made by current patients, can be seen in the Bethlem Gallery located in the same building.
Despite the comprehensive overview provided by the museum, our understanding of mental illness is by no means definitive. There are still many unanswered questions that modern psychopathology is still grappling with. This is best articulated by a video presentation that portrays a clinical assessment of a woman in care. It ends with an interactive component that asks the viewers what their decision would be. It’s a powerful way to demonstrate the nuanced challenges the medical community face each day as they try to provide the best care possible, and it will likely leave you feeling even more uncertain about just how much or little you thought you understood about mental illness.
Bethlem Royal Hospital was founded in 1247 and was the first institution in the UK to specialise in the care of the mentally ill. The hospital continues to provide in-patient care as part of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and has been based in south London since 1930.
Plan your visit
Bethlem Museum of the Mind is located at Bethlem Royal Hospital, Monks Orchard Road, Beckenham, Kent, BR3 3BX
Open Wed - Sat, 09:30 - 17:00. Free to attend.
Please check website to confirm opening days/hours, especially during holidays and half-term.
Visit museumofthemind.org.uk and follow @bethlem_museum on Instagram for more info about the venue.
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