In 1822, the Hartford Retreat for the Insane was chartered as
one of the first mental health centers in the United States, and
the first hospital of any kind in CT. In 2022, the CHS is exploring
of the story of mental health in our state. Recently, the CHS
invited Dr. Harold I (Hank) Schwartz to talk about the history of
the Hartford Retreat, renamed the Institute of Living in the 20th
century. His presentation took us through the state of mental
health care in the early 1800s, the reasons for the founding of the
Retreat, and its place in the development of modern psychiatry.
Dr. Schwartz, is the Psychiatrist-in-Chief Emeritus at the
Institute of Living/Hartford Hospital and formerly served as Vice
President, Behavioral Health at Hartford Healthcare. He is
Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of
Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale University
School of Medicine. His talk is presented here for you with minimal
edits.
To learn more about the Connecticut Historical Society’s
exhibition Common Struggle, Individual Experience: An
Exhibition About Mental Health, go to
chs.org.You can view a 3D, virtual tour of the
exhibition
here.
Image:
"Hartford Retreat for the Insane," postcard, CHS collection
1984.13.109
Produced by Natalie Belanger. Mixed by Patrick
O'Sullivan.