I'm not sure how to talk about this, but i think many women in the past also kept quiet about what was happening in their homes because of the added trauma of the 'treatment' they might possibly have to endure by professionals. At 18 i entered the psychiatric nursing program,when i graduated, i did not feel i was in anyway equipped for the job. The words which come so easy today were not even in the vocabulary then. Our text books did not include such things as rape victim, assault, incest. The patient population was around 4,000. In long term areas for 90 patients, there was a charge, 2nd, two students and an aide, in short term areas it would be the same staff for 30. Be admitted more than twice, you went to a higher populated building. No female doctors around, the buildings were massive. A woman entering the short term building could expect a visit with doctor once a week, and could talk to a student (18 to 20 years old) possibly for 20 min a couple of times a week. ECT and phenobarbs were primary cure alls. When we are hurting, we need love, laughter even. If anything these people couldn't have been more isolated, alone and scared. And the stigma of having been 'in the mental hospital' would follow them for life.