The Institute of Living is a comprehensive psychiatric facility in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, that offers care across the spectrum of psychiatric services, including: * A 24/7 crisis evaluation telephone assessment and triage: Experienced psychiatric nurses and clinicians collect, assess, and synthesize clinical, medical, psychosocial and other collateral data to ensure that the patient is referred to the appropriate level of care. * Inpatient psychiatric units for adults, geriatrics, teens, and children. * Group homes for adults: Eli's Retreat and the Todd House provide treatment and support independent life skills. * Specialized school programs for teens and children: The Webb Schools in Hartford and

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

provide a comprehensive array of services to public schools, ranging from in-district consultations to student enrollments. * Partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient programs (IOP) for older adults, adults, young adults, teens, and children. * The Medication Assisted Treatment Close to Home (MATCH) program uses a combination of medication and therapy to help people into recovery from addiction to opioids, alcohol or other drugs

History

The hospital was built in 1823 and was opened to patients in 1824. At that time, the Institute of Living (IOL) was among only four facilities of its kind in the nation. It was capable of accommodating 40 to 60 patients who were segregated by "sex, nature of disease, habits of life and the wishes of their friends." The weekly cost of care was $3 for Connecticut residents, $4 for those from out of state and $10 to $12 for a suite with an exclusive personal attendant. Eli Todd was its first

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

. The hospital's 35 acres (14 ha) campus was landscaped by

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co- ...

in the 1860s. The hospital was initially called the Connecticut Retreat for the Insane. Its name changed several times, but it was often referred to as the Hartford Retreat. Dr. C. Charles Burlingame was named as superintendent in 1939. His vision was for the facility to become one-third hospital, one-third university/educational environment and one-third resort. This included adding residential cottages, a nine-hole golf course, indoor and outdoor pools and tennis courts, all of which are gone today. In the late 1980s, the IOL staffed 450 beds, with many patients staying for months and years until managed care transformed the facility to what it is today. By the early 1990s, the IOL reduced its number of beds to 150 and length of stay to 28 days. The IOL and Hartford Hospital's Department of Psychiatry merged in 1994, and the next year saw a blending of programs, staffs, ideals and goals. As a result of the merger, the IOL could accept Medicaid patients, something private psychiatric hospitals in the United States cannot do. New programs such as the Schizophrenia Rehabilitation Program (focusing on cognitive rehabilitation), Anxiety Disorders Center, Early Psychosis Program and LGBTQ offerings, among many others, reshaped the IOL's clinical landscape. During its 175th anniversary, the Institute of Living opened an exhibition titled "Myths, Minds and Medicine" on the history of the Institute and psychiatric treatment in general. As it approaches its bicentennial in 2022, Dr Javeed Sukhera was announced as the Institute of Living’s incoming Chair and Chief of Psychiatry in 2021.

Historic Grounds

Rare or unusually large tree species make up the IOL grounds, ever since they were redesigned by

and his associate,

Jacob Weidenmann Jacob Weidenmann (August 22, 1829 – February 6, 1893) was an landscape architect from Switzerland known for his design of rural cemeteries and public parks. Biography Weidenmann was born in Winterthur, Switzerland on August 22, 1829. He was ...

. There are several New England champion trees on the grounds, including the

Ginkgo ''Ginkgo'' is a genus of non-flowering seed plants. The scientific name is also used as the English name. The order to which it belongs, Ginkgoales, first appeared in the Permian, 270 million years ago, and is now the only living genus within ...

, which is also one of the biggest in the United States, the

pecan The pecan (''Carya illinoinensis'') is a species of hickory native to the southern United States and northern Mexico in the region of the Mississippi River. The tree is cultivated for its seed in the southern United States, primarily in Georgia, ...

, the

bur oak ''Quercus macrocarpa'', the bur oak or burr oak, is a species of oak tree native to eastern North America. It is in the white oak section, ''Quercus'' sect. ''Quercus'', and is also called mossycup oak, mossycup white oak, blue oak, or scrub o ...

and the

Japanese Zelkova ''Zelkova serrata'' (Japanese zelkova, Japanese elm or keyaki or keaki; ja, 欅 (ケヤキ) keyaki /槻 (ツキ) tsuki; ; ko, 느티나무 neutinamu) is a species of the genus ''Zelkova'' native to Japan, Korea, eastern China and Taiwan.Flora ...

. On August 4, 2020, the pecan tree was destroyed by

Tropical Storm Isaias Hurricane Isaias () was a destructive Category 1 hurricane that caused extensive damage across the Caribbean and the East Coast of the United States while also spawning a Hurricane Isaias tornado outbreak, large tropical tornado outbreak that ge ...

. The pecan tree, in the middle of the central lawn, was one of two in Connecticut and was a New England champion for 30 years until a lightning strike caused significant damage a decade ago. There is evidence to suggest that the pecan tree predates Olmsted.

Locations

Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center was founded in 2001. The mission of the center is to be at the forefront of research in brain disorders. The Anxiety Disorders Center provides treatments and researches the nature and treatment of anxiety to educate mental health professionals in research and treatment. The Family Resource Center provides education, support, referral services, and treatment to persons or families dealing with a significant mental illness. The Burlingame Clinical Trials Unit conducts pharmaceutical trials.

Training Programs

The Institute of Living supports multiple training programs. These include a general adult psychiatry residency, a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship, a

psychosomatic A somatic symptom disorder, formerly known as a somatoform disorder,(2013) Advanced Practice Nurse Fellowship, and a psychology internship and post-doctoral training program. The IOL also offers clinical rotations for medical students, social work students, and nursing students, among others. * 5-Year Combined Adult & Child/Adolescent Psychiatry Residency Training Program * Adult Psychiatry Residency Training Program * Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Residency Training Program * Psychosomatic Medicine Fellowship * Psychology Department Internship & Residency * Advanced Practice Nurse Fellowship

Controversies

The Institute of Living was one of the primary treatment centers in the United States for Catholic priests, including those who sexually abused children. The Institute treated hundreds of priests over the course of several decades. Many priests were transferred to the institute to avoid discovery and prosecution. The Institute of Living maintains it was deceived by the Catholic Church, that the Church concealed information from doctors, and that it bears no responsibility for the conspiracy to perpetuate priest abuse. The

Archdiocese of Baltimore The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore ( la, link=no, Archidiœcesis Baltimorensis) is the premier (or first) see of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the United States. The archdiocese comprises the City of Baltimore and nine of Mar ...

sent priest

Joseph Maskell Anthony Joseph Maskell (April 13, 1939 – May 7, 2001) was an American Catholic priest who was removed from the ministry because of sexual abuse toward female students at Archbishop Keough High School between 1969 and 1975. He served the Archdio ...

for treatment at the institute from 1992 to 1993.

Abuse

It was here that

Gene Tierney Gene Eliza Tierney (November 19, 1920 – November 6, 1991) was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed for her great beauty, she became established as a leading lady. Tierney was best known for her portrayal of the title character in the ...

was subjected to 26 shock treatments, which she later claimed robbed her of significant portions of her memory. The institute treated silent movie star

Clara Bow Clara Gordon Bow (; July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress who rose to stardom during the silent film era of the 1920s and successfully made the transition to "talkies" in 1929. Her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the ...

after she attempted suicide in 1944 and checked into The Institute of Living, in 1949, where she underwent electro-shock therapy and was diagnosed with

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...

Marsha Linehan Marsha is a variant spelling of Marcia (given name), Marcia. Notable people with the name include: *Marsha Ambrosius (born 1977), former member of the English band duo Floetry *Marsha Arzberger (born 1937), Democratic politician *Marsha Barbour, ...

, the creator of dialectical behavior therapy, was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the Institute of Living and subjected to

involuntary Involuntary means ''unintended''. An involuntary action is one that is unintentional, i.e. without volition or will; see volition (psychology) and will (philosophy). ''Involuntary'' may also refer to: * ''Involuntary'' (film), a 2008 Swedish film ...

electroshock therapy Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a psychiatric treatment where a generalized seizure (without muscular convulsions) is electrically induced to manage refractory mental disorders.Rudorfer, MV, Henry, ME, Sackeim, HA (2003)"Electroconvulsive th ...

and seclusion when she was a teenager, according to a June 2011 ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' article. Linehan has returned to the IOL at least twice, once to give a Grand Rounds presentation on Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and another to share her experience as a patient at the IOL.

History

Historic Grounds

Locations

Training Programs

Controversies

Abuse

Notes

References

Further reading