Ten Days In A Mad-House

Content Warning: This section discusses violence and abusive behavior toward, and mistreatment of, women and people with disabilities and mental health conditions. 

Nellie Bly, born Elizabeth Jane Cochran in 1864, was an American journalist whose work marked the beginning of “immersion” or “stunt” journalism (See: Background). Bly’s career began at the Pittsburgh Dispatch, where her pieces focused on social justice topics like women’s rights and labor conditions. Bly’s move to New York led her to the New York World, where editor Joseph Pulitzer approved her proposal to investigate conditions in Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum. Her mission required that she feign “insanity” to secure admission, a strategy that was unconventional for the era but showcased her commitment to an authentic, firsthand reporting style.

Ten Days in a Mad-House provides an unfiltered account of Bly’s experiences at Blackwell’s Island, where she observed—and endured—disturbing conditions, including inadequate care, unsanitary facilities, and abusive treatment. The exposé caused an immediate public response, drawing attention to the failures within mental health institutions and prompting reforms in mental healthcare. By documenting the experiences of those institutionalized, Bly exposed the misdiagnosis and mistreatment of women and the use of institutions as a means of controlling societal “deviance” rather than addressing genuine mental health needs.