When standard medicine fails, tell me about your mother

I just spent the last 9 minutes laughing hysterically. Mindhacks pointed me to an awesome 1940's video depicting psychoanalysis. A man goes to the doctor, complaining of loss of weight. All the tests come back negative and the doctor says "we feel the causes of your illness are emotion." Oh no, emotion! He's referred to the "psychosomatic department" in which, what I assume is the psychologist's, first statement is "tell me about your mother." This is so cliched! The video then goes on to show a psychiatrist teaching about psychoanalysis, showing a video of a baby who has been deprived of his mother for three months....oh right, no ethics committee back then :/
When therapy starts, the narrator states "He is placed on a couch to free his mind".
The couch is fundamental to the process, you know ;)

Check it out:

The Lives They Left Behind

I just found a fascinating exhibit that looks into the lives of those who were housed in Willard Asylum in New York from 1869-1995. Many of these psychiatric patients never left and their belongings were found untouched in suitcases in the hospital attic. What we get is a glimpse of what life was like for these people and an eerie look into the history of mental illness treatment. The site also includes fascinating history of the hospital itself as well as audio recordings and information on the book that goes along with this exhibit, also titled "The Lives they Left Behind." It's good to know the common treatment for mental illness today isn't ECT or water submersion.