Curator tour: Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back: The Continued Struggle to Treat Mental Illness in America

Name: Curator tour: Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back: The Continued Struggle to Treat Mental Illness in America
Start: 2026-02-24T12:00:00-06:00
End: 2026-02-24T13:00:00-06:00
Location: Ward Building, Galter Health Sciences Library

Tuesday, February 24, 2026 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CT

Ward Building, Galter Health Sciences Library, 303 E. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 map it

Join curators for a tour of the new exhibit, Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back: The Continued Struggle to Treat Mental Illness in America, currently on display in the Eckenhoff Reading Room at Galter Library.

This exhibit explores both societal and medical treatments of mental illness in the US from the 18th century to today. It highlights institutional confinement, medical and pharmaceutical treatments, the development of child psychiatry, and the shift to police as mental illness first responders. Patterns of advancement and retreat carry through each case, showing the struggle to properly treat mental illness continues today.

View Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back online.

Audience

Faculty/Staff
Student
Post Docs/Docs
Graduate Students

Contact

Katie Lattal (312) 503-1913

katherine.lattal@northwestern.edu

Group

Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center

Interest

Arts/Humanities
Academic (general)

Curator tour: Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back: The Continued Struggle to Treat Mental Illness in America

Audience

Contact

Group

Interest

Add Event To My Group