Institutionalization

As I was watching these two films, I noticed several similarities and differences to Cuckoo's Nest. It's Kind of a Funny Story obviously took a more humorous approach to mental health institutions, but there were certain moments that reminded me of the hospital in Cuckoo's Nest. For instance, when Craig first arrives at the hospital, he tells the lady at the front desk that he wants to kill himself, and she has a very lukewarm reaction by telling him to fill out a form. This is similar to the staff in Cuckoo's Nest who have very mild reactions to the patients' behavior. Also, It's Kind of a Funny Story showed a scene of group therapy, which has also been shown in various parts of Cuckoo's Nest. I found it interesting to actually be able to see a group therapy scene and learn how it works. The differences in the movie came mostly from the fact that it's more modern. The hospital is better kept, and they do not use practices like electroshock therapy or lobotomies there.
The New Asylums gave me some interesting insights on real situations for mentally ill people, and I was surprised at how many similarities I found between the documentary and Cuckoo's Nest. The biggest similarity I found was the condition of the patients and prisoners. In the book, the patients almost seem like they are in a prison. They are constantly being watched and they have almost no authority over their own lives. The maximum security part of the prison also reminded me of Disturbed, because of the extreme treatment of the patients/prisoners. The biggest difference I found was that in the book, many of the patients were there voluntarily. However, in the prison, the people are all forced to be there. There aren't enough mental health hospitals, so many people with mental illness end up on the streets and get put in prison.