The Man Who Closed the Asylums: Franco Basaglia and the Revolution in Mental Health Care

In 1961, Franco Basaglia arrived at the Gorizia asylum, a place of horror and oppression. He closed it down by bringing freedom and democracy to the patients, nurses, and psychiatrists, inspired by the writings of authors such as Primo Levi, R. D. Laing, Erving Goffman, Michel Foucault, and Frantz Fanon. His seminal work contributed to the 1968 movement and led to the closure of the Italian asylum system in 1978.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 432 pages
Publication date: 01 August 2023
Publisher: Verso Books

In 1961, when Franco Basaglia arrived at the Gorizia asylum, located on the Italian border with Yugoslavia, he encountered a place of profound horror and despair. The asylum was a Bedlam for the mentally ill and excluded, reeking of Basaglia's own harrowing wartime experiences within a fascist gaol. Patients were frequently subjected to prolonged restraints, and therapy consisted primarily of electric and insulin shocks. The corridors were filled with the stench of decay, and for many of the interned, the doors were locked for life, trapping them in a cycle of captivity and suffering. This was not a hospital; it was a concentration camp.

Basaglia, the new Director, was tasked with implementing the oppressive practices he had been trained in. However, he refused to engage in such tactics. Instead, he envisioned a radical transformation of the asylum. He believed that the only way to shut it down was to open it up from the inside, bringing freedom and democracy to the patients, nurses, and psychiatrists who worked within the institution.

Basaglia's inspiration came from a diverse range of authors and thinkers, including Primo Levi, R. D. Laing, Erving Goffman, Michel Foucault, and Frantz Fanon. He was also influenced by the practices of experimental therapeutic communities in the UK. His seminal work as a psychiatrist and activist in Gorizia, Parma, and Trieste played a crucial role in shaping the national and international movement of 1968.

In 1978, a significant law was passed (known as the Basaglia law) that sanctioned the closure of the entire Italian asylum system. This marked a revolutionary approach to mental health care, and The Man Who Closed the Asylums is the first comprehensive study of this approach. The book provides a gripping account of one of the most influential movements in twentieth-century psychiatry, which helped to transform our understanding and treatment of mental illness.

Basaglia's work saved countless individuals from a miserable existence, and his legacy continues to inspire and influence the struggle against the brutality and ignorance that the establishment propagates. His approach, which emphasized empathy, human rights, and social justice, remains a powerful testament to the power of compassion and the potential for positive change in the field of mental health care.

Weight: 550g
Dimension: 210 x 140 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781784784164