“Take the pill” in the context of Emilie Autumn likely refers to her themes surrounding mental illness, psychiatric treatment, and society’s expectations of how individuals—particularly women—should manage their mental health.
In her work, particularly in albums like Opheliac and her semi-autobiographical book The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls, Emilie Autumn critiques how mental health institutions often use medication as a means of control or suppression rather than healing. The phrase “take the pill” might symbolize the pressure to conform, numb emotions, or accept treatment without addressing underlying issues.
Her art delves into the dark side of psychiatric treatments, especially the over-medication of those labeled as “hysterical” or “crazy,” echoing historical practices in Victorian asylums. By tackling these topics head-on, she empowers her audience to reflect on mental health, treatment, and the societal norms that influence these areas.
Psikhushkas were psychiatric hospitals in the Soviet Union that were notorious for being used as tools of political repression. The term “psikhushka” comes from the Russian word for psychiatric hospital (психиатрическая больница, psikhiatricheskaya bolnitsa), and these institutions became infamous during the Soviet era, particularly under the leadership of Joseph Stalin and later Leonid Brezhnev.
The Soviet government often used mental health institutions to imprison and silence political dissidents, activists, intellectuals, and others who were critical of the regime. This practice was part of a larger strategy to delegitimize opposition by labeling critics as mentally ill, often diagnosing them with made-up or exaggerated conditions like “sluggish schizophrenia” (вялотекущая шизофрения, vyalotekushchaya shizofreniya), a diagnosis invented to justify the imprisonment of individuals who expressed anti-Soviet sentiments or behaviors.
Key Features of Soviet Psikhushkas:
- Political Repression: Dissidents were often forcibly committed to these institutions without a proper legal process, and many spent years or even decades in these hospitals without access to legal recourse.
- Inhumane Conditions: Patients in psikhushkas were subjected to forced treatment, including powerful antipsychotic drugs, electroconvulsive therapy, and isolation. The aim was to break their spirit and coerce them into renouncing their beliefs or political stances.
- Sluggish Schizophrenia: The primary diagnosis used against dissidents, “sluggish schizophrenia,” was characterized by mild or hidden symptoms that allegedly included “reformist delusions” or “increased desire for justice.” This diagnosis had no real scientific basis and was often applied to anyone who opposed the state’s ideology.
- International Outcry: The use of psychiatry for political purposes in the Soviet Union led to condemnation from human rights organizations, including the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), which eventually forced the Soviet Union to withdraw from the organization in the 1980s due to international pressure.
- Legacy: After the fall of the Soviet Union, the practice of politically motivated psychiatric abuse declined, but it left a lasting impact on the Russian mental health system and remains a dark chapter in the history of psychiatry.
The psikhushkas were a method of suppressing dissent by rendering political opposition invisible under the guise of medical treatment, making it difficult for the international community to intervene or criticize the Soviet regime. This approach blurred the lines between psychiatry and politics in a way that has had enduring repercussions.