Is It You or I Who Should Be in the Asylum?

Schizophrenia, personality disorder, depression and anxiety are all examples of mental health problems. Yet we can celebrate some of our greatest music and art, created by the minds of people with psychosis. Can someone with a personality disorder live a normal life, have a job, a family, a social life?

Can they recover from psychotic episodes? How do carers cope? What are the limits of our tolerance of anti-social behaviour? Some severely affected people hear voices or experience hallucinations and delusions but does that mean they are dangerous if left untreated in the community? Is locking up mentally ill people just an easy solution that masks a complex social dilemma?

The European Dana Alliance for the Brain and Imperial College London