In the 1800s the rights of people were taken away when they were sent to mental hospitals and institutions. Mental patients led rough lives, having to endure both the physical and mental torment thrusted upon them. And though the hospitals were filled with people with true illnesses, there were also patients who were perfectly sane and desperately out of place in that environment. People were often treated harshly and given no consideration to their rights. It was a dark time filled with fear.