The Yellow Wallpaper is partly based off of author Charlotte Perkins Gillman’s own experience with the rest cure, which she underwent in 1887 when she suffered from depression after her daughter was born. Treated by Mitchell himself, she wrote later that after following his treatment for a few months, “I came perilously close to losing my mind.
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What was the rest cure for women?
In theory, the rest cure was meant to relieve women of psychological ills and leave them fit to tend to their families and homes. In practice, though many patients were charmed by Mitchell and some found it helpful, the treatment prescribed women to the roles society laid out for them,...
What was the rest cure?
In theory, the rest cure was meant to relieve women of psychological ills and leave them fit to tend to their families and homes. In practice, though many patients were charmed by Mitchell and some found it helpful, the treatment prescribed women to the roles society laid out for them, leaving no room for other ambitions.
Why did women go to the doctor for rest?
And the way to quell the overexerted brain and depleted blood supply of a woman was to, essentially, prescribe her a long, milky, much-needed rest. According to author and historian Dr. Jennifer Lambe, a number of symptoms brought women to Mitchell.
Why did Mitchell prescribe the rest cure only to nervous women?
But using their minds so extensively, Mitchell believed, could easily deplete their energy and fry their fragile nerves. Mitchell proceeded to prescribe the rest cure almost exclusively to these women—“nervous women,” writes Mitchell, “who, as a rule, are thin and lack blood.”
How did the rest cure affect women?
The Rest Cure ensured that women remained in their “proper” sphere: the home. Mitchell and his medical peers discouraged female patients from writing, excessive studying or any attempt to enter the professions.
Why is the rest cure prescribed to Jane?
In addition to narcotics, Mitchell prescribed a rest cure to calm them and limit movement that would keep them from healing. The cure involved four basic elements: bed rest, force-feeding and overfeeding, massage, and electrical stimulation of the muscles.
What did the rest cure involve?
As a remedy, neurologist S. Weir Mitchell, a wealthy and influential Philadelphia neurologist, created the rest cure, a regimen of forced bed rest, restricted diet, and a combination of massage and electrical muscle stimulation in place of exercise.
How was the rest cure described in The Yellow Wallpaper?
Gilman was treated with the “rest cure”, devised by Mitchell, as is the protagonist of the story; like an infant, she was dosed, fed at regular intervals and above all ordered to rest. Mitchell instructed Gilman to live as domestic a life as possible “and never touch pen, brush or pencil as long as you live”.
How did the rest cure impact patients?
The rest cure was really only suitable for educated, skilled and wealthy patients who had the time and help to undergo the treatment in their own homes or in a fashionable sanatorium. It may have kept some patients alive and others out of asylums, but some patients and doctors found the cure worse than the disease.
What happened at the end of The Yellow Wallpaper?
Through seeing the women in the wallpaper, the narrator realizes that she could not live her life locked up behind bars. At the end of the story, as her husband lies on the floor unconscious, she crawls over him, symbolically rising over him.
What is nerve powder?
A concentrated nutrient with tonic properties. It is very easily digested and absorbed and is recommended as an effective means of reinforcing the daily diet of anaemic and convalescent patients, including children, and in cases of weakness and exhaustion from overwork or illness."
Is hysteria an emotion?
Hysteria is a term often used to describe emotionally charged behavior that seems excessive and out of control. When someone responds in a way that seems disproportionately emotional for the situation, they are often described as being "hysterical."
What does the woman behind the wallpaper represent?
The woman behind the pattern was an image of herself—she has been the one “stooping and creeping.” Further, she knows that there are many women just like her, so many that she is afraid to look at them.
How does the narrator change once she discovers the woman in the wallpaper?
The narrator is feeling an improvement in her mood. She says the change is due to the wallpaper, although John doesn't know that and she 'has no intention of telling him. ' She is fascinated by its secrets and certain that, with the week remaining, she will be able to uncover them.
What are the barriers to addiction treatment?
According to a 2004 global case study by the United Nations, there were numerous perceived barriers for women considering treatment: childcare and custody concerns, fear of their partner leaving, lack of pregnancy services, shame and stigma, and lack of gender-responsive treatment options.
Does gender responsive treatment work?
According to a report by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), simply placing women in a same-sex treatment group does not equate to better outcomes or retention rates. However, gender-responsive programming does provide better outcomes. In a practical sense, gender-responsive programming would be conducted in a gender-specific setting, thus indicating the benefits of women-only treatment.
What did Anne Stiles say about the West cure?
The West cure wasn’t the only medical remedy that considered exposure to nature restorative.
What is Jane Austen's fondness for?
Jane Austen’s fondness for the restorative powers of the sea are well-documented. In her unfinished novel Sanditon, she extolls the ocean’s virtues, writing that “the sea-air and sea-bathing together were nearly infallible; one or other of them being a match for every disorder of the stomach, the lungs, or the blood.”.
When was the watering place in Anna Karenina published?
Such a “watering-place” figures in Anna Karenina, published in 1877, when the scorned Kitty Shcherbatsky travels to a German spa seeking to restore her well-being.
Who was Mitchell's patient?
The feminist writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman was perhaps Mitchell’s best-known patient, as well as one of his harshest critics. She fictionalized her treatment in the now-infamous story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” wherein the protagonist, confined to the bedroom, slowly descends into madness.
Is bed rest safe for pregnant women?
Perhaps most controversial is bed rest, one of the most commonly prescribed treatments for pregnant women in the U.S. for a variety of issues. One study reports that up to 95 percent of obstetricians have prescribed bed rest to their patients, despite a plethora of evidence showing the practice yields no benefits for mom or fetus.
Who invented the rest cure?
This essay discusses the rest cure, a popular treatment for nervous illness pioneered by Philadelphia neurologist Silas Weir Mitchell in the 1860s and ‘70s. Emphasis will be placed on the spread of the cure to Britain and the role of the rest cure in literature.
Did Gilman find Mitchell's sanitarium pleasant?
[1] On the unreliability of Gilman’s autobiography, particularly as regards her rest cure experiences, see Davis 95-105. Davis suggests that Gilman actually found her stay at Mitchell’s sanitarium relatively pleasant, and that her symptoms worsened when she returned home to her unhappy domestic situation.
How to recover from a syphilis?
You may feel the urge to push through and continue with your normal schedule, but being too active may affect your recovery period. Get enough rest and make sure to fuel your body. Proper nutrition is necessary during recovery.
Can you anticipate chemotherapy?
Although there are general or typical reactions you can anticipate during chemotherapy, everyone reacts to the treatment differently. Your expectations and ideas may not be what actually happens.
Is chemotherapy one size fits all?
Chemotherapy is not a one-size-fits-all experience. When faced with chemotherapy, many women turn to online research, but reading about the treatment and the process only goes so far. Oftentimes, talking with other patients or survivors can be more helpful.
Is chemotherapy draining?
Chemotherapy can be draining, both physically and mentally. For women who are used to being self-sufficient, learning to accept help from friends and family can be difficult. Just remember: You’re undergoing the treatment in the hope of returning to your strong, capable self.
Why are women more likely to be in treatment?
More generally, women are more likely than men to experience difficulties in attending regular treatment sessions because of family responsibilities, and cite being responsible for the child care as one of the biggest barriers to entering treatment.
How many women died from pain relievers?
48,000 women died from prescription pain reliever overdose from 1999 to 2010. However, in just a 5-year span from 2010 to 2015, over 50,000 women died from a drug overdose (excluding alcohol related deaths and causes). Research has shown that women are more likely to have chronic pain, be prescribed prescription pain relievers by their doctors, ...
How does substance use disorder affect women?
substance use disorder in women progresses at a faster rate than men, and are more susceptible to craving and relapse. Physiological differences accelerate the progression of addiction, as women metabolize alcohol and drugs differently. Fewer stomach enzymes and more fatty tissue slow down the processing of alcohol and other drugs, causing the body to be exposed to higher concentrations of the substance longer.
What percentage of women have traumatic experiences?
It is estimated that between 55% and 99% of women in addiction treatment have had traumatic experiences.
How many women have children in addiction treatment?
70% of women entering addiction treatment have children. Women entering treatment are more likely to have primary responsibility for their children, where as the majority of fathers entering addiction treatment have another primary caretaker (e.g. mother) available.
Why should women have sexual health services?
Sexual health services should be offered to women to address unique health risks, as part of normal comprehensive physical exams provided to patients. These services may include attention towards family planning, protection and sexually transmitted diseases, and fluctuating hormonal levels.
Is stigma stronger for women?
The shame, blame, and guilt attached to addiction can be stronger for women, especially mothers. Women report higher levels of stigma than men, and stigma is a known barrier to treatment seeking.