It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light

— Aristotle Onassis.

The first group of people who opened up a place for people with mental disorders were the Quakers in 1814. It became to be known as The Friends Asylum. This was the first institution in which it was run by ordinary people rather than physicians. In the years that followed, the mental institutions that began to pop up were staffed with physicians.

The Friends Asylum was unique in that they put the patients to work rather than subjecting them to harsh treatment. Patients were gifted 4 meals a day, and were left to knit or do some busy work that kept their mind at ease.