Join us for light refreshments and to view the traveling banner exhibition, Care and Custody: Past Responses to Mental Health.

Over the past 200 years in the United States, a tension has existed between care and custody as responses to mental health issues. Physicians, psychiatric survivors, families, and government agencies have all shaped mental health policies. Care and Custody: Past Responses to Mental Health examines history to understand how the country has moved away from custodial forms of treatment, sought a more inclusive society, and worked to protect the rights of people with mental health conditions.

The traveling banner exhibition and companion website explore the treatment of people with mental health conditions throughout history, especially in the United States, bringing to light the tension that has existed between care and custody. 

The exhibit will be on display in the Cullom-Davis Library through November 29, 2025. The National Library of Medicine produced this exhibition and companion website.