History 21 The Podcast - 4.02 The Anoka State Hospital History

Over 120 years ago, the first male occupants arrived at the newly constructed State Asylum for the Insane following a battle for the Anoka location. It’s history looms large in local lore and this program promises to tease fact from fiction. Listen to a portion of the program given January 13 at the History Center in this episode.

Host Rebecca Desens, ACHS Director and Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator

Anoka County Library Minute

Further Reading: 

Mental health care in the state of Minnesota and across the United States has changed dramatically since the first state hospitals opened. More and more efforts are being made in the professional community to help de-stigmatize people with mental health conditions and open up conversation about mental health. If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, there are resources available. Residents of Anoka County can visit the department of Behavioral Health Services’ site at https://www.anokacountymn.gov/4178/Behavioral-Health-Services for resources and information on many mental health related issues. The library also has many resources on the subject of mental health. Listed below are just a few of them:

• Hiding in Plain Sight: youth mental health by Ken Burns (DVD616.89 HID)

• You Are Not Alone: the NAMI guide to navigating mental health with advice from experts and wisdom from real people and families by Ken Duckworth (616.89 DUC)

• Where to Start: a survival guide to anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges by Mental Health America (YA618.9289 WHE)

• Hidden Pictures (documentary on Kanopy)

• Healing: our path from mental illness to mental health by Thomas R. Insel (616.89 INS)

• We Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride (YA FICTION MCB)

• Are U OK?: a guide to caring for your mental health by Kati Morton (362.2 MOR)

• It’s OK Not to Be OK: a guide to well-being by Tina Rae (J618.9289 RAE)

• Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? By Julie Ann Smith (158 SMI)

• When You’re Not OK by Jill Stark (158.1 STA)