Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

This story is derived from as human a document as ever existed; and, because of its uncommon nature, perhaps no one thing contributes so much to its value as its authenticity. It is an autobiography, and more: in part it is a biography; for, in telling th

In 1905, after suffering a relapse and spending a few months at The Hartford Retreat, Clifford Whittingham Beers elected to write a book about his experiences living with mental illness and being subject to cruel treatment and physical abuse while being institutionalized. Titled, A Mind That Found Itself, the 1908 autobiography told the story of a young man who had suffered a life full of personal tragedy, leading to feelings of intense anxiety, paranoia and depression. Slowly being engulfed by intrusive thoughts and hallucinations, Beers found himself struggling with suicidal ideation and commitment by his well-intentioned family to a series of mental health institutions, each one seemingly worse than the last. Unique in its presentation of both self-awareness and the difficult reality of working towards recovery; the book paved the way for the American mental hygiene movement and removed the stigma of mental illness among the general public.

This story is derived from as human a document as ever existed; and, because of its uncommon nature, perhaps no one thing contributes so much to its value as its authenticity. It is an autobiography, and more: in part it is a biography; for, in telling the story of my life, I must relate the history of another self, a self which was dominant from my twenty-fourth to my twenty-sixth year. During that period I was unlike what I had been, or what I have been since. The biographical part of my autobiography might be called the history of a mental civil war, which I fought single-handed on a battlefield that lay within the compass of my skull. An Army of Unreason, composed of the cunning and treacherous thoughts of an unfair foe, attacked my bewildered consciousness with cruel persistency, and would have destroyed me, had not a triumphant Reason finally interposed a superior strategy that saved me from my unnatural self.

A firsthand account of insanity and recovery. Clifford Whittingham Beers (1876-1943) was the founder of the American mental hygiene movement. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, he was one of five children, all of whom would suffer from psychological distress and die in mental institutions. He graduated from the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale in 1897. In 1900 he was first confined to a private mental institution for depression and paranoia. He would later be confined to another private hospital as well as a state institution. During these periods he experienced and witnessed serious maltreatment at the hands of the staff. After the publication of A Mind That Found Itself (1908), an autobiographical account of his hospitalization and the abuses he suffered, he gained the support of the medical profession and others in the work to reform the treatment of the mentally ill. He was a leader in the field until his retirement in 1939.

This is the autobiography of Clifford Whittingham Beers.

This is the autobiography of Clifford Whittingham Beers.

First published in 1908 A Mind That Found Itself was written to abolish many fears regarding insanity, and to correct abuses in its treatment. This is the personal account of the author's experience in a private sanatorium and in an insane asylum. In 1900 he was first confined to a private mental institution for depression and paranoia. Later Beers spent time in a private hospital as well as a state institution. A Mind That Found Itself told of the abuses he suffered at the hands of the staff and medical profession. This work was instrumental in helping to get reforms for the treatment of the mentally ill.

A Mind That Found Itself by Clifford Whittingham Beers, is derived from as human a document as ever existed; and, because of its uncommon nature, perhaps no one thing contributes so much to its value as its authenticity. It is an autobiography, and more: in part it is a biography; for, in telling the story of the authors life, which he must relate the history of another self-a self which was dominant from his twenty-fourth to twenty-sixth year. During that period, unlike he had ever been been, or what he has been since. The biographical part of his autobiography might be called the history of a mental civil war, which he fought single-handed on a battlefield that lay within the compass of his skull.

This story is derived from as human a document as ever existed; and, because of its uncommon nature, perhaps no one thing contributes so much to its value as its authenticity. It is an autobiography, and more: in part it is a biography; for, in telling th

A Mind That Found Itself by Clifford Whittingham Beers, is derived from as human a document as ever existed; and, because of its uncommon nature, perhaps no one thing contributes so much to its value as its authenticity. It is an autobiography, and more: in part it is a biography; for, in telling the story of the authors life, which he must relate the history of another self-a self which was dominant from his twenty-fourth to twenty-sixth year. During that period, unlike he had ever been been, or what he has been since. The biographical part of his autobiography might be called the history of a mental civil war, which he fought single-handed on a battlefield that lay within the compass of his skull.

This is the autobiography of Clifford Whittingham Beers.