BASEL.- Basel Historical Museum’s exhibition “insanely normal” tells the story of psychiatry in Basel over the past 150 years. What do we mean by “normal”, “not normal” or “crazy”? Where is the boundary between mentally healthy and mentally ill, and how has it shifted over time? The exhibition also addresses some of the fundamental issues of psychiatry that still concern us today. It runs until 29 June 2025 in the Barfüsserkirche.

Based on the historical collection of the University Psychiatric Clinics [UPK] Basel and its forerunners, “insanely normal” tells the story of the development of psychiatry in Basel from the 19th century to the present day. Modern psychiatry has had a double remit since the outset: to treat mental disorders and, at best, cure them. At the same time, it is supposed to control those who cross the tolerance threshold of “normality”.

In the quest for cures many avenues have been explored, including some that are incomprehensible to us today. The exhibition traces the development of test methods, diagnoses and therapies. It examines the rationale behind methods such as sleep therapy, malaria therapy and electroshock therapy. Stories from patients at the Basel Clinic provide insights into the treatment processes, everyday life at the clinic, and human destiny.

Mental illness is still a major challenge, which is why the exhibition takes us right up to the present day. In a film, twelve people – those affected, relatives, and specialists in various psychiatric disciplines – provide answers to questions that are currently on our minds: are the times we are living in making us ill? Is mental illness a taboo subject? How do psychotropic drugs actually work? Is there a need for coercion? And: what kind of psychiatry would we like to see?

“The topic of mental illness concerns us all. In the exhibition we provide a historical perspective, but we also address current issues in psychiatry. We therefore create space for an open and informed debate. We want to help destigmatise mental illness,” says curator Dr. Gudrun Piller.

The discussions about current issues will be developed in a comprehensive programme of events. The nine-month-long exhibition will feature evening talks with people affected and specialists, panel discussions, guided tours, city tours, a series of lectures and readings, and a day of action.

The book published to accompany the exhibition is the first to relate the history of psychiatry in Basel from the establishment of the first institutions to the present day. A nine-part podcast will tell the stories of nine people who were in the Basel psychiatric clinic between 1879 and 1984. Using historical case files, the podcasts explore everyday life in the clinic, address earlier therapeutic approaches, and make personal experiences tangible.

Verrückt normal. Geschichte der Psychiatrie in Basel, ed. by Gudrun Piller and Daniel Suter for Basel Historical Museum. Basel: Christoph Merian, 2024. CHF 36. ISBN 978-3-03969-036-7



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