Staying relevant with the times--the changing face of an asylum.

1Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore 2Boston University, United States of America Address for Correspondence: Prof Chong Siow Ann, Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Buangkok Green Medical Park, 10 Buangkok View, Singapore 539747. Email: [email protected] Last year, the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) celebrated its 85th anniversary. From its origins in 1928 as what was then simply called The Mental Hospital, this nondescript name was later changed in 1950 to Woodbridge Hospital.1 The establishment of the Mental Hospital was at a time when there was no effective treatment for mental illness. The only humane option at the time was “moral treatment”, which meant kind, individualised treatment in the form of occupational therapy, exercise, and recreation in a sheltered environment. The hospital was, in fact, an asylum in the original meaning of the word: “a refuge, protection, or sanctuary”. This humane idea of looking after the mentally ill reached its apotheosis in America when the early mental hospitals built in the 19th century took the form of large, stately buildings, with large sprawling grounds and comfortable accommodation that also created a sense of community and companionship for the patients. There were farms and dairies that provided therapy for the patients in the form of work, and these agricultural activities also helped to sustain the running of the hospitals.