What Is Dorothea Dix Cause Severe Depression

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“In a world where there is so much to be done. I felt strongly impressed that there must be something for me to do.(Dix)” Few people can say that they have achieved as much as Dorothea Dix had in her her lifetime. Born in 1802 to Mary Bigelow and Joseph Dix, Dorothea Dix and her two younger brothers suffered poverty and abuse from their alcoholic parents. It is speculated that during this time she experienced severe depression which may have had a hand in inspiring her to reforming the treatment and care of the mentally ill. In 1814, she and her brothers escaped their parents by moving in with their wealthy grandmother in Boston. Having already been taught to read and write, she was then forced to become educated in acting as a “young lady” with the help of her great aunt; Dix greatly resented this at the time. During this period of her life, Dorothea Dix was acquainted with her cousin, who inspired her to open a “Little Dame School” in 1816, which she ran for three years before returning to Boston. In 1821, she opened another school catering to both poor and wealthy girls separately. She taught here until 1836 when she contracted tuberculosis. As per her doctor’s recommendation, she spent a long vacation in England until 1837, following the …show more content…

She is said to have been, "a very retiring, sensitive woman, yet brave and bold as a lion to do battle for the right and for justice. . . . She was very unpopular in the war with surgeons, nurses, and any others, who failed to do their whole duty. (Wood, 2000)" Although she wasn’t very proficient in the nursing field, her work in the war received much respect and special recognition from the Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton. She rightfully earned two national flags for, "the Care, Succor, and Relief of the Sick and wounded Soldiers of the United States on the Battlefield, in Camps and Hospitals during the recent

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