21. A Former Hollywood Bombshell Advocated Against Harsh Treatments
Gene Tierney was an actress who was the leading lady in multiple films, including the 1944 classic Laura. She struggled throughout her life with mental illness, likely either bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Following difficulties concentrating that affected her film appearances, in 1953, she sought treatment.
She was hospitalized in New York City and later moved to the Institute of Living in nearby Hartford, Connecticut. There, she received dozens of electroshock therapy treatments, which were intended to alleviate her severe depression. She claimed that they stole parts of her memory and spent her later years advocating against the use of electroshock therapy.