Two Years and Four Months in a Lunatic Asylum from August 20th, 1863 to December 20th, 1865

"Two Years and Four Months in a Lunatic Asylum" by Hiram Chase is a first-person account of the author's confinement in a 19th-century mental institution, revealing the harsh realities of mental health treatment during that period. The chilling narrative follows Chase's transformation from a clergyman to an asylum inmate, exposing the stigma surrounding mental illness and the cruel practices within these institutions. He aims to correct public misconceptions about asylums, he details his unexpected mental decline, triggered by overwhelming stress, that resulted in his involuntary commitment. The author plunges readers into his psychological distress, depicting his bewilderment and anguish as he navigates life among those deemed "insane" during his extended stay.