Talk:Dorothea Dix

Plagiarism

209.103.193.40 added the following text on 30 November 2004.

This entire page is copied verbatim from a 1998 letter:

"The Ambiguous Legacy of Dorothea Lynde Dix" , Edward M. Brown, Rhode Island District Branch, ::American Psychiatric Association, Newsletter, Sipikm'LKkmll?MLk;: nept. 1998, vol.30 no.2 pp.11-12.

We definitely need someone to check the copyright on this. It seems to be plagiarized.

Since then, the article has been purged of all copyright violations; that's why I removed the {{copyrightexamination}} template here in the talk page. Rkitko 02:29, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

This article has some serious legal issues of copyright. Being a copyright expert, I can assure you there is an issue here. I am placing the article up for deletion unless it can be rewritten without the use of copyrighted infringements. Junebug52 13:19, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

Which sources, online or otherwise, is the text under copyright? I've tried to be diligent when I see new additions to the article, immediately running them through a google search. Instead of nominating it for deletion, why not remove the offending sections? Surely the entire article is not a copyvio? Cheers, --Rkitko ^(talk) 16:08, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

Hello --. '::L{Rkitko. Much of the verbiage that is found in this article has been noted in articles by the American Psychiatric Association. I have e mailed them to get them to send me a copy of this newsletter noted above by another editor. If we ever have even a question about copyvio we must act immediately as to preserve a non liability stand for Wikipedia. It seemed that another editor had a question about it some time back and has noted it here as well on the talk page. Maybe you can enlighten me as to what you have done to make sure it's not a copyright issue? Thanks Junebug52 20:55, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

I was just thinking. Why don't we just put a link to the American Psychiatric Association on the page with a line that say's we took verbiage from their newsletters? That would solve this whole issue and cite/source the article as well. What do you think? Junebug52 20:59, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

Well, the allegation of copyright violation is from an IP user back in November of 2004. Compare the version of the article in question then and now: diff. They're completely different. If it was a complete word-for-word copyvio, the only sentence that remains to be the same is the very last, which can easily be rewritten and ref'd or removed. I agree we must act upon copyright violation allegations, but this article has been completely rewritten since the above allegation. I don't see where any verbiage remains from the old copyvio source, except of course that last sentence. Thoughts? --Rkitko ^(talk) 21:15, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

Rkitko, thanks for pointing this out. My concern is this. Even though the article was rewritten, it still contain the same content, just rearranged in nature. This is a constant problem presented in copyvio court cases. I just do not want a wikilawyer to get involved and cause problems. I have seen it happen on several occassions. I think that if we reference the American Psychiatric Association and acknowledge that their newsletter was used as a source, we should be able to bypass the whole copyvio issue. I am kinda just trying to steer away from a problem before it happens. You are more passionate about this article than I am, so I will wait to see how you would like to handle it. I think that if we source this agency and newsletter, it would be safe to remove the tag. So lets do that and after it's done I will remove the tag and lets see what happens. Thanks for your attention. Junebug52 03:34, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

I can appreciate the fact that you'd like to prevent any problems here, but after reading both versions--the old copy from when the allegation of copyvio was made and the current one--I see absolutely no connection. Sure, the information is similar, but that's because it's a biography relating what happened in her life. I don't think the article was simply rewritten or rearranged. The copyvio in question was nearly completely removed in this edit and subsequent edits. Since then, I've been watching the article and nothing new has been added that I can identify as copyvio (that still remains, at least. There have been several attempts to place copyrighted text on this article, which I or other editors have reverted). We can certainly cite the article, but I honestly don't know what information in the current article can be attributed to it. Funny thing you should mention me being passionate about this article--I was just questioning how it got on my watchlist to begin with! I keep it on mostly to revert the heaps of vandalism and copyvio edits by IP and new users. Cheers, --Rkitko ^(talk) 04:30, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

--Rkitko. I removed the copyvio tag and asked that a reference be placed on for American psychiatric association. Just the fact that you yourself said the information is "similar" is what I was speaking of. These educational newsletters and journals are sticklers for copyvio and look at every chance they get to find violations no matter how large or small they may appear. In the past 5 years with the introduction of napster and ipod as well as other various copyright infringers, these people who own copyrights have been on missions to find violators. That is why I raised the concern. I hope you can appreciate that. An ounce of prevention..... Junebug52 11:06, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

That's a little ridiculous, no? The only reason the information is similar is because both this new article and the old one cover the same subject material and probably used similar source material. The article that stands now was written by someone (really, several people) who probably didn't even have access or knowledge of the APS newsletter article. With all due respect, I do think this is a bit hyper-reactive. (And I think the same of the companies that react in such a manner, such as the RIAA. Sidenote: For an interesting read concerning the RIAA's lunacy by one of my favorite artists, read these two links. I digress.) Regardless, I appreciate your effort in trying to quell any problems before they begin. Cheers, --Rkitko ^(talk) 16:11, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

--Rkitko. I think you are correct on all sides, but I will tell you. As many times as I have had to go to court over copyvio as a professional witness, I can attest to the fact that their arguements were based on issues that were similar in nature. I think this whole world has gone crazy with all of the me, me, me factor. What ever happened to the gentlemens code of honor? Thanks for helping! If I can ever do anything for you, please do not hesitate to ask. Junebug52 17:10, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

I am a Psychology student that needs to post an addition to Wikipedia for my History of Psych class. I am unable to post, because this page is semi-protected. Can anyone help me please? Thanks, Djones0664 (talk) 05:29, 4 December 2009 (UTC)Djones0664

Dorothea Dix Early Childhood Dorothea’s unstable family life helped shape her life of service. Due to the influence of her dysfunctional family, she developed many coping skills that later served her in a career helping the mentally ill. In addition to her father being an abusive and insane alcoholic, her mother, more than twice the age of her father, was often very ill. They married at the age of eighteen and thirty six. Her mother was emotionally unavailable during all of Dorothea’s childhood. Her father, after dropping out of Harvard, drifted from job to job. Dorothea’s childhood was one filled with depression and illness. The one person who did show her love and affection was her grandfather. Her grandfather, Elijah Dix, worked his way up from poverty, and became a successful doctor( Gollaher, 1995). He taught Dorothea the valuable lesson of hard work, and dedication to the community. When she was seven years old, her grandfather was murdered, leaving her feeling even more alone. Her grandfather’s love and attention is credited for providing Dorothea with self -confidence and later ability to deal with powerful men. At a young age, Dorothea was often left in charge of her two younger siblings. She continued this role of caretaker until around the age of fifteen (Schlaefer &Freeman, 1991). As a child, her family moved often. Her father, who often refused to work, relied on his family to financially support them. At age twelve, Dorothea moved into the Dix Mansion with her grandmother. Unlike her grandfather, Dorothea’s grandmother was cold and distant. She remained there for two years and then moved in with a Great-Aunt who lived in Worcester. It was here that Dorothea was taught how to “behave like a proper lady” (Gollaher, p.26). When Dorothea turned eighteen, she met her second cousin, Edward Bangs (Schlaefer et.al, 1991). It was Edward who encouraged Dorothea to fulfill her dream of starting a school. At age fifteen, Dorothea began her first school, which consisted of nine children, between the ages of six and eight years. She taught there for three years. When Dorothea was eighteen years of age, her cousin Edward proposed marriage. She immediately closed her school and returned home to her grandmother’s house after becoming frightened from his proposal (Schlaefer et. Al, 1991). After returning to Worcester, Dorothea met Anne Heath. Anne was the first friend that Dorothea could confide in. It was during this time that Dorothea also became closer to her grandmother. Even though it was highly unusual for a woman to choose a career during this era, her grandmother fully supported her teaching career. In 1821, Dorothea opened a school at the home of her grandmother. Two years later, she opened a second school in the Dix Mansion (Gollaher, p.40). Anne Heath continued to support her career. She introduced Dorothea to the social world of Boston. Unable to fit into the social life of that era, Dorothea began writing to release the pain of her childhood and adolescence. Also in 1821, she received notice of her father’s death. It was shortly after this that Dorothea “turned inward” (Gollaher, p.34). She began her spiritual path. On this path, she believed that her life had purpose and she was to carry out the will of God. She continued to write letters to her friend Anne, who provided her with endless support. It was during this time, her early twenties, that Dorothea began a lifetime of physical illnesses. Dorothea also wrote several books. These books included religious poetry, young adult fiction, and a botanical book (Gollaher, 1995). In 1828, she published several works of fiction. Dorothea was now dedicating her life not only to writing, but to one of religious service. She became involved with a new religious movement what we know today as the Unitarian Church. In the late 1820’s Dorothea began work for the Channing family. William Ellery Channing is known as the “father of Unitarianism”(Gollaher, p.64). Over the next few years, she travelled extensively with the Channing family, until falling sick in February of 1831. Although, Channing supported Dorothea in her work, he still felt that she would not be able to carry on her work due to her illness. It was this resistance that encouraged Dorothea to move forward. It wasn’t until 1842, after the death of Channing, that Dorothea was free to begin her work (Gollaher, p.81).

References Gollaher, D. (1995). Voice for the Mad. New York, New York. The Free Press. Schlaifer, C. &Freeman, L. (1991). Heart’s Work. New York, New York. Paragon House Press.

who was dorothea dix

who really was dorothea dix? how do we know any of this is true? well..... i dont know.but if i did then i would really tell the viewers but i dont know if any of this is true. how do we know if people keep lying to us? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ashlee669 (talk • contribs) 00:16, 15 March 2011 (UTC) I like trains I LIKE TRAAINSAIDNSINDFIEHGGHEGUI — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.190.167.98 (talk) 18:31, 21 March 2012 (UTC)

She was one of the most important people to ever have lived. Her motivations appear to be based on her personal experiences being raised in childhood by parents with mental health issues. If you have an inclination you can trace her ancestry and identify family members who had problems with severe emotional and cognitive issues during their adulthood stretching back multiple generations. She appears to have found a solution to providing resources for all the mentally ill by focusing the public especially on the needs of elderly who experience cognitive decline and those who are experiencing or reacting to stimuli incoherently such as wounded soldiers.68.40.122.133 (talk) 06:29, 10 January 2017 (UTC)

By the way, her parents were not far apart in age. I added links to documents posted at ancestry.com and named them based on their original record so readers can varify the dates.68.40.122.133 (talk) 06:36, 10 January 2017 (UTC)

I appreciate good editing but to delete all of the references which I added which took many hours to find and add is poor editing. With such a notable person, there are myths that inevitably get added to their biography. The myth that I addressed was the purported age difference between her parents which the documents I referenced show did not exist. One has to document her grandparents to ensure there is no confusion between similarly named individuals; this is how the myth may have begun. Instead of deleting references, edit to improve the presentation of the references. Your deletions just perpetuate a myth. Perhaps the way to improve the presentation would be to add an ahnentafel with the ancestors and links to their documents in a different section.68.40.122.133 (talk) 16:06, 10 January 2017 (UTC)

Something to add

I don't know how to add things to this specific page but under the Honors section it should also be noted that one of the two state psychiatric hospitals in Maine has been renamed the Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center. It is located in Bangor, ME. Website is here: http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/DDPC/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by MrsWade78 (talk • contribs) 23:47, 10 April 2013 (UTC)

• Added, thanks. FallingGravity (talk) 04:01, 11 April 2013 (UTC)

Editing

The language of the lengthy section about her surveys of states and work with state legislatures sounds dated, essay-like, and very much as if taken verbatim from another publication. I'm not going to try to research where it was taken from, but it seems like a copyright vio. Am editing to paraphrase and take out dated language and very lengthy exposition.Parkwells (talk) 22:10, 4 December 2014 (UTC)