David R. Hamilton, Ph.D. – In 1796, English Quaker, William Tuke, founded the York Retreat at Lamel Hill in York, UK. Its purpose was to help people recover from mental health problems, but with one difference from the norm at the time. The treatment they received came to be known as moral treatment. Its philosophy was kindness. And it was highly successful.

It was a reaction against the seemingly inhumane and brutal asylums at the time, where one of Tuke’s own family members had spent some time. In these asylums, people suffering with depression were locked away and treated as ‘mad’. Continue reading →