
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
A History of Women's Madness
Jane Robinson(Author)
Doubleday (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 4. February 2027
Book
Hardback
368 pages
978-1-5299-3734-3 (ISBN)
Description
'Let it be remembered that insanity is still considered as more disgraceful than crime, and that it is therefore made the immediate interest of the family of the insane to bury her in oblivion . . .'
Today we are increasingly aware that poor mental health affects all of us, collectively if not personally; it is something to be accepted and addressed, rather than kept at bay like a dangerous beast. But for most of human history mental illness has been seen as taboo, a shameful secret that required hiding away. Women - who have long been stigmatised as melancholic, hysteric and feeble minded, more prone to insanity than their male counterparts - have been particularly sidelined.
In Out of Sight, Out of Mind, Jane Robinson traces the history of women's madness from the ancient Greek humours and witch trials to institutions, modern psychiatry and the birth of the NHS, giving a voice to both the patients of the past and the pioneering women who came to their aid. Drawing on case studies, first-hand accounts and the tireless work of female campaigners, journalists and doctors, Robinson reveals how a chorus of women helped to engineer the change towards compassion, understanding and effective treatment; how much prejudice they had to overcome in the process, and how their greatest ally in the battle for recognition was their own strength of character.
Today we are increasingly aware that poor mental health affects all of us, collectively if not personally; it is something to be accepted and addressed, rather than kept at bay like a dangerous beast. But for most of human history mental illness has been seen as taboo, a shameful secret that required hiding away. Women - who have long been stigmatised as melancholic, hysteric and feeble minded, more prone to insanity than their male counterparts - have been particularly sidelined.
In Out of Sight, Out of Mind, Jane Robinson traces the history of women's madness from the ancient Greek humours and witch trials to institutions, modern psychiatry and the birth of the NHS, giving a voice to both the patients of the past and the pioneering women who came to their aid. Drawing on case studies, first-hand accounts and the tireless work of female campaigners, journalists and doctors, Robinson reveals how a chorus of women helped to engineer the change towards compassion, understanding and effective treatment; how much prejudice they had to overcome in the process, and how their greatest ally in the battle for recognition was their own strength of character.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Transworld Publishers Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 35 mm
Weight
629 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5299-3734-3 (9781529937343)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
approx. 02/2027
Transworld Digital
€14.99
Not yet available
Person
Jane Robinson is also the author of Bluestockings: The Remarkable Story of the First Women to Fight for an Education and Ladies Can't Climb Ladders: The Pioneering Adventures of the First Professional Women. She was born in Edinburgh, grew up in North Yorkshire and read English at Somerville College, Oxford. She has worked in the antiquarian book trade and as an archivist, and is now a full-time writer and lecturer, specializing in social history through women's eyes. She is a Fellow of the Royal Historical and Royal Geographical Societies, a Hawthornden Fellow, and a Senior Associate of Somerville College. In her spare time she collects books and designs pop-up Escape Rooms. She lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband and two feline assistants, Emmy and Mrs Chippy.