McLean Hospital facts for kids
Quick facts for kids McLean Hospital |
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| Mass General Brigham | |
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| Geography | |
| Location | Belmont, Massachusetts, United States |
| Coordinates | 42°23′37″N 71°11′28″W / 42.393658°N 71.191075°W |
| Organization | |
| Hospital type | Specialist |
| Affiliated university | Harvard Medical School, Harvard University |
| Specialty | Psychiatric hospital |
McLean Hospital is a famous psychiatric hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. A psychiatric hospital is a place that helps people with their mental health. McLean is known for having the world's largest brain science and mental health research program in a private hospital.
It is the main psychiatric hospital for Harvard Medical School and is part of the Mass General Brigham health care system. This system also includes major hospitals like Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Contents
History
How It Started
McLean was founded in 1811. Its first location was in a part of Charlestown, Massachusetts, which is now part of the city of Somerville, Massachusetts.
The hospital was first called the Asylum for the Insane. It was started by a group of caring people in Boston. They were worried about people with mental illnesses who had no homes. A minister named John Bartlett led the effort. The hospital was built around a mansion designed by the famous architect Charles Bulfinch. This mansion became the main building for the hospital.
Name Changes and a New Home
Later, the hospital was renamed The McLean Asylum for the Insane. This was to honor one of its first major supporters, John McLean. He gave a lot of money to help build hospitals like this one. In 1892, the name was changed again to McLean Hospital. This new name showed that people were learning more about how to best treat mental illness.
In 1895, the hospital moved to a new, larger campus in Belmont, Massachusetts. The famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park in New York City, helped choose the new location. The hospital had to move because its old neighborhood in Charlestown was becoming too busy with new train lines and buildings.
Saving the Historic Campus
In the 1990s, the hospital planned to sell some of its land. This caused a big debate in the town of Belmont. People had different ideas about what to do with the land.
Finally, in 2005, they agreed on a plan. Part of the land was kept as open space, and other parts were used to build homes and shops. In 2003, most of the Belmont campus was added to the National Register of Historic Places because of its importance.
What McLean Hospital Does Today
McLean is well-known for helping teenagers who are dealing with emotional challenges. It uses a special type of therapy called dialectical behavioral therapy to help them.
As a teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School, McLean does three main things: it treats patients, it teaches new doctors, and it does research. It is also home to the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center. This is the world's largest "brain bank," where brain tissue is stored and studied to help scientists understand how the brain works.
Other Locations
Besides its main campus in Belmont, McLean has other locations. There are centers in Arlington, Cambridge, and Middleborough that provide care for patients who don't need to stay overnight. The Arlington and Cambridge locations focus on helping children and teenagers.
Rankings and Recognition
- U.S. News & World Report has ranked McLean Hospital as the #1 psychiatric hospital in the United States.
- In 2017, McLean was one of the top 20 independent hospitals in the world to receive research money from the National Institutes of Health.
Famous People Who Received Care
Many well-known people have been treated at McLean Hospital over the years. They include:
- Mathematician John Nash
- Musicians James Taylor and Ray Charles
- Poets Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, and Anne Sexton
- Author Susanna Kaysen
- Actress and singer Selena Gomez
McLean in Books and Movies
McLean Hospital has appeared in several books and movies.
- The novel The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is based on her experiences.
- The book Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen was also about her time at McLean. It was later made into a popular movie.
- The song "Knockin' 'Round the Zoo" by James Taylor was inspired by his stay at the hospital as a teenager.
See also
