Female Pioneers In The Mental Health Industry

Posted on Mar 18, 2021 | 0 comments

In celebrating Women’s History Month, there are 5 females that made huge leaps for us that I would love to share with you.

When many of us think about the mental health industry, it’s mostly men that come up in our minds. But so many women made equally if not more important contributions to understanding the human mind. And I think Women’s History Month is the perfect time to talk about them!

Female Pioneers In The Mental Health Industry

Leta Stetter Hollingworth (b.1886 – d.1939): an American psychologist, educator and feminist. She researched women’s psychology, intelligence and gifted children. She was NYC’s first civil service psychologist and ran the psychological lab at Bellevue Hospital. In her time, men occupied both the high and low ends of the bell curve while women were thought only mediocre and were further incapacitated during their menstrual cycles. She challenged this theory and proved that women had equal mental capacity to men each and every day of the month.
Anna Freud (b.1895 – d.1982): it’s a little-known fact that Sigmund Freud’s daughter was a brilliant psychologist who focused on children’s mental health. She was a pioneer in the field of child psychoanalysis in both Vienna and London, leading several advancements in the understanding of children.
Nellie Bly (b.1864 – d.1922): born Elizabeth Jane Cochran, she was an investigative journalist who used the pen name Nellie Bly. She posed as insane in order to get herself admitted to a New York State Asylum after hearing of horrible conditions there. After 10 days as an inpatient, Bly wrote an exposé for New York World about her experiences that was a catalyst for widespread mental health reform and later published a book Ten Days In A Mad-House.
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross (b.1926 – d.2004): a Swiss-America psychiatrist who was a pioneer in the field of near-death studies. She published the groundbreaking book On Death and Dying and went on to teach tens of thousands of mental health students on this subject matter.
Marie Nyswander (b.1919 – d.1986): she was an American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who developed the use of methadone for the treatment of heroin addictions. It is estimated today to reduce the death rate of heroin addicts by 60%!

These are just 5 examples of the incredible women who have impacted the mental health industry! Share one of your favorites in the comments!!

Cheers!

Malibu Mama Loves Xx