Staying Relevant With the Times—The Changing Face of an Asylum

Last year, the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) celebrated its 85 th anniversary. From its origins in 1928 as what was then simply called The Mental Hospital, this nondescript name was later changed in 1950 to Woodbridge Hospital. The only humane option at the time was "moral treatment", which meant kind, individualised treatment in the form of occupational therapy, exercise, and recreation in a sheltered environment. The hospital was, in fact, an asylum in the original meaning of the word: "a refuge, protection, or sanctuary".