Before it was Hartford Hospital’s Institute of Living, it was the Hartford Retreat for the Insane.

Today Hank Schwartz, joins us to share the history of this Connecticut mental health center, 200 years after its opening.

Although asylums have a reputation for inhumane treatment towards the mentally ill, the Hartford Retreat was a pioneer in treating all of its patients with respect and dignity.

We hear how that philosophy informs how the Institute operates today.

What questions do you have about the history of asylums in our state?

GUESTS:

• Dr. Hank Schwartz - Psychiatrist and Chief Emeritus of Hartford Hospital’s Institute of Living
• Daniel Bergner - contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and author of the new book, The Mind and the Moon: My Brother’s Story, The Science of Our Brains and the Search for Our Psyches

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