The Mental Health Revolutionary Who Vanished
Though he was instrumental in transforming the mental health field, he couldn’t find peace in his own life—or so we’re told. But what really happened to RD Laing? No one knows, but his disappearance caused a shift in the way we think about our mental health. Find out why by reading this engaging article on RD Laing and his visions of madness, as well as how they relate to our society today.
A psychiatric revolution
Emil Kraepelin, a German psychiatrist at the turn of the 20th century, made some groundbreaking discoveries that shook up conventional notions about mental illness. He was one of a kind, but his work is still relevant today—and it continues to influence how we think about psychiatric disorders. [Source]
What happened next?
When Sigmund Freud fled Nazi Germany in 1939, he arrived in London with four dachshunds. He took an apartment on Maresfield Gardens, where he lived until his death in 1939, at age 83. He died of jaw cancer and received a private burial attended by his daughter Anna. His papers were given to Anna to be preserved at All Souls College. When she died 30 years later, her children sold them to collectors for $6 million.
Last known image
Found on a letter released by R. D. Laing’s former secretary (seen in cover photo), Laing sent it to her before he disappeared forever, which was shortly after he published his book, Wisdom, Madness and Folly. You can see in his face that something was troubling him deeply.
What happened to John Nash?
John Nash, one of our most brilliant 20th-century mathematicians and also a mental health patient with schizophrenia, died on May 23rd. For those who know his story only from A Beautiful Mind, Mr. Nash’s death may come as a shock. But for those who have been involved in research about severe mental illness for decades—the field that would eventually become behavioral economics—the death of John Nash is truly tragic news.
Conclusion
Erasing Patient’s Memories Creates a Better, Happier World? Not So Fast. Dr. Matheson’s research points toward a future in which our most difficult emotions—fear, sadness, grief—can be virtually eradicated. But before we get there, scientists need to learn more about how memory works and what might happen when it goes away completely.