About the Institute of Living

When the Institute of Living (IOL) was chartered in 1822 as the Hartford Retreat for the Insane, it was destined to be one of the first mental health centers in the United States and the first hospital of any kind in Connecticut. Admitting its first patient in 1824, the new hospital also marked a revolutionary shift in mental health treatment, emphasizing humane care and finding cures rather than confinement.

Some 200 years later, the Institute of Living remains at the forefront of behavioral health, offering patients hope for recovery through comprehensive care, research, education, and the expertise of the best clinical minds in the fields of behavioral, psychiatric, and addiction disorders.

With its focus on general psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, and psychology, the IOL’s comprehensive services include outpatient, partial hospital, residential (supervised living), inpatient, crisis intervention, and consultation.

In addition, the IOL’s research centers—the Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, the Anxiety Disorders Center, and the Clinical Trials Unit—generate state-of-the-art research across a broad range of subjects.

The IOL’s vital role in our community has never been more evident than during the COVID-19 pandemic. With widespread grief, social isolation, loss of income, general uncertainty, and stress leading to an increased incidence of depression, anxiety, and suicide there has been a tremendous need for mental health support.

The 2022 Black & Red will kick off a two-year celebration in honor of the IOL’s bicentennial. Funds raised will support the IOL’s continuing innovative work in easing the burden of mental illnesses and substance-use disorders on individuals, families, and communities.

 

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