The Historical Significance of Titicut Follies in Psychiatric Treatment: An Anti-Censorship Perspective.

Works of art and information judged as obscene can be censored or banned. This brief review evaluates the costs and benefits of censorship and the banning of artwork and information. In the history of psychology, Frederick Wiseman's film Titicut Follies epitomizes the disadvantages of concealing art content. Despite protecting the privacy of patients, the ban of Titicut Follies delayed the reform of psychiatric treatment practices and hospitals. The decision to censor or ban artistic and scientific information can result in the loss of knowledge and potential improvements to social, political, and economic institution practices.

Prisoner exposure to nature: Benefits for wellbeing and citizenship.

The direct or indirect experience of crime can cause individuals to feel vengeful against the perpetrator(s). The prison system reflects this sentiment by creating austere environments that are dehumanizing, punitive, and hopeless. Prisons are, therefore, environments in which retribution and punishment take priority over rehabilitation. Frequently, prisoners are believed to be untreatable because of their antisocial orientation. However, several factors influence an antisocial orientation such as socioeconomic status, family of origin, and mental health. The ubiquitous nothing works misbelief has resulted in prisoner marginalization and increased recidivism because of insufficient treatment. In 2015, 10 million individuals were incarcerated worldwide with around 30 million circulating through prisons each year. The prison environment decreases prisoner life expectancy and overall health. Sadly, prisoner benefits from treatment post-incarceration dissipate after 3-6 months and many prisoners die by suicide or drug overdose. Prison overpopulation, as well as poor outcome post-incarceration, requires more effective treatment. We hypothesize that Prisoner Exposure to Nature (PEN) can transform prisons into environments that are conducive to maintaining and improving physical and mental health. In prior work we proposed the continuum Nature Exposure Sufficiency (NES) versus Nature Exposure Insufficiency (NEI). Prisons are impoverished environments that limit Nature Exposure (NE) which results in NEI. Individuals experience fluctuations in mental and physical health as a result of NEI. Numerous studies have shown that direct and indirect NE can improve mood, physical health, and facilitate connectivity with self and society. It is necessary to consider ways in which we can incorporate NE for prisoner wellbeing. Additionally, it is crucial that prison personnel and prisoners develop a therapeutic/helping relationship (i.e., alliance) that is facilitated by friendliness and warmth to foster social change and citizenship. Many prisoners experience isolation and disconnection with society upon reentry. Given that most prisoners are eventually released into the community, we are obligated not to make them worse. Hence, it is important that prisons create programs that develop citizenship to engender prisoner volition to become positive and active citizens. We focus on the prison and prisoners, however our work is relevant to all total institutions (e.g., mental hospitals, nursing homes, schools, etc.). The prison system favors punishment and mass incarceration over treatment and decarceration. The deleterious effects of incarceration are clear and it is time to implement treatments based on the principles of PEN to improve prisoner wellbeing and citizenship.

Nature exposure sufficiency and insufficiency: The benefits of environmental preservation.

Increasing industrialization, urbanization, and a failure of many world leaders to appreciate the consequences of climate change are deleteriously impacting quality of life as well as diminishing the prospects for long term survival. Economic competitiveness and corporate profitability often pre-empt environmental concerns. The calving of an iceberg in Antarctica and the hurricane activity in the Caribbean during 2017 are unfortunate illustrations of the continuing escalation of environmental issues. We provide historical and current evidence for the importance of Nature Exposure (NE) and introduce the continuum Nature Exposure Sufficiency (NES) and Insufficiency (NEI). Insufficiency includes impoverished environments (e.g., slums and prisons) where nature exposure is very limited. Nature Exposure Sufficiency (NES) is an optimal amount of exposure to nature where many benefits such as reinvigoration can be obtained by everyone. NES also has several benefits for individuals with various health conditions such as arthritis, dementia, or depression. The benefits of NE are not just derivable from parks, forests, and other natural settings. Interiors of buildings and homes can be enhanced with plants and even pictures or objects from nature. Additionally, there is abundant evidence indicating that virtual and artificial environments depicting nature can provide substantial NE and therefore contribute to general wellbeing. Besides the difficulty in achieving cooperation amongst nations, corporations, and other collectives in developing and implementing long range plans to deal with climate change, there is also sometimes an aversion at the individual level whereby people are unwilling to experience nature due to insects and other discomforts. Such individuals are often averse to supplanting the comforts of home, even temporarily, with inadequate facilities that are seemingly less pleasant than their typical dwellings. We propose using the term Nature Exposure Aversion (NEA) to describe such behavior and propose that the aversion is largely due to conditioning. Such behavior may be addressed through desensitization in virtual environments which in turn may contribute to an endorsement of the view that climate change is occurring and must be dealt with. The issues of Nature Exposure Sufficiency and Insufficiency are intertwined with the sustainability of the planet and future planning and efforts to deal with the environment. If the outcome is unfavorable, the descent of civilization will be more rapid than the ascent.