Scary House > Stories > WestWood Mental Institute
Step into the year 1896, where the WestWood Mental Institute stands tall and imposing, nestled in a small town just outside of Pennsylvania, known as Byberry. Here, the walls of the asylum witness the tragic stories of those deemed unfit for society's understanding.
In a time when the intricacies of the human mind still elude society, psychologists are shunned as "Alienists". Their unconventional methods, lacking recognition from the medical community, render them outcasts. Their attempts to unravel the mysteries of the mind manifest in a place like WestWood, where the wealthy inhabitants of New York's elite turn for assistance.
For over a century, the institute has occupied its hallowed corridors, seemingly weathered by time itself. Its reputation as a sanctuary for troubled souls has remained intact, but within its ageing walls lies a darker truth—treatment methods that embody the era's grim understanding of mental health.
Visitors entering the institution step into a world that conflates discipline with therapy. Patients are subjected to crude restraints and shackles, their humanity forgotten in the name of control. Staff members, known not for their compassion but for their stern attitudes, adhere to the belief that harsh punishment can drive out the demons lurking within the afflicted minds.
Electroconvulsive therapy, considered groundbreaking at the time, is administered without the finesse and understanding of its potential side effects. The frenzied energy of the treatment room ecohos throughout the ancient structure, embodying the desperation of both patients and practitioners.
WestWood Mental Institute, encased in its aged masonry, becomes a receptacle for societal disdain. The Alienists who dare to explore the depths of the human psyche are met with scepticism, whether from the scientific community or the common folk who whisper tales of "madness" echoing from the premises.
Those who possess the means to send their loved ones to WestWood are content in the notion that their "problem" will be contained, locked away beyond the watchful gaze of a judgmental society. The wealthy, caught between upholding appearances and desperate hope for a cure, choose to face reality within these foreboding walls.
But as the years pass by, the age of the institute and its medical director Dr. F. Schneider is undeniable. Its knowledge is stagnant, his refusal to adapt to new understandings of psychology. A sense of desperation hangs heavy in the air, whispering of the urgent need for enlightenment that has yet to touch this place.
So, the WestWood Mental Institute remains, both a sanctuary and a prison—an enduring reminder of society's refusal to embrace the complexity of the human mind. Its purpose, once noble, now feels tainted by the limitations of the era.
As time marches forward, one can only wonder what new discoveries and advancements will challenge the stagnant practices of WestWood Mental Institute.
Until then, it remains a haunting emblem of a society clinging tightly to its fears, unaware of the potential for progress that lies just beyond its grasp.
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