Get London, Bethlem Hospital Patient Admission Registers And ...

Bethlem was founded in 1247 and through most of its history reflected contemporary views on the treatment and care of people with a mental illness. There was, however, a darker period when the hospital became more conservative, secretive and, eventually, abusive in the treatment of its patients.

What happened at Bethlem Hospital? Patients at Bethlem Hospital were treated for mental health disabilities in horrific ways. They were subject to starvation, beatings, and other treatments like bloodletting and rotation therapy.

Bethlem had strict regulations on long-term admission: most patients were discharged after a year, with a very small number transferred to an incurable ward.

Bethlem Royal Hospital, also known as St. Mary Bethlehem, Bethlehem Hospital and Bedlam, is a psychiatric hospital in Bromley, London. Its famous history has inspired several horror books, films, and TV series, most notably Bedlam, a 1946 film with Boris Karloff.

Bethlem Royal HospitalSouth London and Maudsley NHS Foundation TrustShown in BromleyGeographyLocationMonks Orchard Road, Beckenham, London, England13 more rows

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) offers confidential advice, support and information on health-related matters, for patients, their families and their carers. To contact PALS at this hospital: phone 0800 731 2864. email pals@slam.nhs.uk.

Specialising in mental illness It is certainly true that by 1403, 'lunatic' patients formed the majority of the Bethlem's clients - and so England's first, and perhaps most infamous, mental institution was born.

Bethlem Royal Hospital in England was the first facility of its kind to treat people with mental illness — but poor management and funding turned it into a chaotic institution that came to define the word "bedlam."