Dorothea Dix free essay sample

If I am cold, they are cold; if I am weary, they are distressed; if I am alone, they are abandoned. Throated Dixie Throated L. Dixie and the Establishment of the New Jersey State Lunatic Asylum Prior to the Industrial Revolution, traditional institutions like the family, church, and local communities were charged with the care of orphaned children, the elderly, the indigent, and the mentally ill. As the Revolution flourished it greatly evolved the economy, social structure, and political institutions of the cities of New Jersey into more complex urban societies.However, as it demanded labor these institutions were no longer available to these populations. Hence, formal public establishments were born out of society needs. There functions were vital to the welfare of the American people (Hermann, F. M. , p. 5, Throated L. Dixie and the Politics Of Institutional Reform). One of the most important establishments developed from the results of the Industrial Revolution were insane asylums. This led to an unhappy childhood. Dixie subsequently moved to live with her grandmother at the age of 12. Her grandmother was stern but saw to it that Dixie was educated. Unlike other historical nurses, Dixie did not attend formal nursing school. Nursing was her second career.She began her early years teaching and later became a nurse. At the age of 14, Dixie opened a private school for young children. At the age of 19, her school was expanded to include formally educating older children. Dies passion and devotion to her school caused a suitor to turn away from her. She never married and then devoted all her efforts to teaching and running her school (American Civil War, 2010). Dies health quickly deteriorated from exhaustion. She suffered from tuberculosis. After teaching for 20 years, Dixie was forced to close her school due to poor health in 1836. She traveled to Europe to recover. She relapsed while in England and was nursed back to health by her English friends. These friends were prison reformers and activists for the mentally ill. In England, Dixie learned new theories for caring for the mentally ill. These theories included moral treatment, removing patients from family and society, releasing restraints, and preoccupation with work or tasks (Bum, 2005). While in England, her mother and grandmother died. Dies grandmother left her a sizable inheritance. This inheritance was used to travel. In 1841 , Dixie agreed to teachSunday School to a class of women inmates. Here, Dixie saw the deplorable living conditions of the inmates. Those considered insane were chained to walls, naked, no heat, and sleeping on stone floors. This experience was the catalyst for Dies life work to improve the living conditions of prisoners and the mentally ill. She traveled across the United States and internationally gathering data on how the mentally ill were treated and dealt with (Bum, 2005). After her return from overseas, Dixie composed a document for the care of the disadvantaged mentally ill in 1848. Dixie was ahead of her time.It as not until 1 854 that Congress passed legislation to form a trust to open an asylum for the mentally ill. The bill was originally vetoed in 1852. It wasnt until 1855 that SST. Elizabethan Psychiatric Hospital was opened in Washington D. C (Burn, 2005). At the age of 60, the Civil War broke out. Dixie volunteered to serve in the Union Army as a nurse and was appointed as the Superintendent of Nurses for the Union Army. Dixie struggled in this role and faced many struggles with doctors over a womans role in the battlefield. After the war, she resumed her travels and crusades for improving the notations of hospitals for the mentally ill.She was responsible for helping to open hospitals such as the State Hospital in Trenton, New Jersey. She fell ill again in 1881 and was bedridden until her death on July 17, 1887. Even though she was an invalid, she campaigned from the bedside to improve the quality of care and life of the mentally ill (Civil War Home, 2010). Dixie at the end of her life refused to speak of her accomplishments or to have hospitals named after her. She wanted to be left alone in her later years. She felt embarrassed when praise was given for her lifes work and accomplishments Bum, 2005). Dixie was most likely an autocratic leader.An autocratic leader is a leader who gives orders and makes decisions for the group (Whitehead, Weiss, Tappet, p. 6). She was the Superintendent of Nurses for the Union Army during the Civil War. Dixie was known as Dragon Dixie. She was stern, authorized a dress code, clashed with military bureaucracy, and ignored administrative details. She fought against the stereotype off womans role and only admitted nurses that were not marriage minded, plain looking, and older than 30 to serve in the war. She and her nurses entered tattletale hospitals to care for the injured against the wishes of doctors and army officers.She made her own decisions and decided how her nurses would be utilized in the hospitals and battlefield. Dixie was also a teacher and owner of her school. She did not have a business partner and had the sole responsibility of the school. She made all decisions for the school, and the way she would run her school (Civil War Home, 2010). Dixie was also a transformational leader. A transformational leader is one who uses meaning, inspiration, and vision as part of her leadership style (Whitehead, Weiss, Tappet, p. ). Dixie had a mission to improve the care of the mentally ill.She had vision, inspiration, and meaning to pursue her crusade. This was seen in her travels to jails to gather evidence and report her findings. These accounts later was the driving force for her petitioning Congress to set aside land to build hospitals for the mentally ill. She also advocated for change in prisons of how inmates were treated such as clothing them, heat, and releasing restraints. This advocacy was ahead of her time and not well accepted. She also worked with families and individuals in the community to teach them owe to deal with the mentally ill.She had success with families rehabilitating individuals suffering from depression (Bum, 2005). Dixie was an effective communicator. Being an effective communicator entails being an active listener and tuning into the cues of nonverbal behavior. Qualities Of an effective communicator is the ability to read body language, listen to information, and to give feedback about what is being said or observed (Whitehead, Weiss, Tappet, p. 74). Dixie traveled throughout Europe between 1854 and 1856 extensively to prisons to witness the conditions of he mentally ill.In two years, she was able to change how jails and almshouses were run and maintained. This led to the improvement of the lives of prisoners, orphans, and the mentally ill. In the United Sates, she witnessed how the poor mentally ill were treated such as no heat or being auctioned off as laborers. These accounts were later the formation of her petition to Congress for the construction of hospitals and state supported institutions. The feedback for her petition was both positive and negative. Congress passed the legislation only to have the bill vetoed.She did receive costive feedback as she was instrumental in opening the first state hospital in Trenton, New Jersey (Civil War Home, 2010). Dixie was faced with much conflict in her life. Her childhood was less than desirable. She had to deal with an absent father and a mother who suffered from depression. Dixie faced illnesses throughout her life as she worked herself into exhaustion. It seems as if she did not know how to rest and take care of her health. She felt her causes and crusades Were more important that caring for her health. This was a barrier for her to change. She did not change her health conflict.She would take trips to Europe to rest. However, as soon as she arrived, she would begin traveling to further pursue her cause. Much of Dies life work was ahead of her time. Conflict arose with the current theories of how to care for the mentally ill and Dies proposed theories. She worked to change the perception of the mentally ill through perseverance (American Civil War, 2010). Dies life is inspiring as she proved that she was tenacious and persevering. She showed that through hard work, you can inspire change for the good of people. Dixie was compassionate for those in need.Her inspiration allows me to believe that I can help make a difference in the lives of those in need. Dixie had many hardships in her life beginning with her childhood and major illness throughout her adulthood. She showed that life can be lived even though there may be obstacles in your way. She had a never give up, never quit attitude. Dixie shows me that you can persevere through tough times. Throated Dixie was an advocate for the poor mentally ill. She worked tirelessly to improve conditions for the mentally ill and to pass legislation for institutions for these individuals.