This book is an autobiographical account of the author's hospitalization and the abuses he suffered. In 1900 he was first confined to a private mental institution for depression and paranoia. He would later be confined to another private hospital as well as a state institution. During these periods he experienced and witnessed serious maltreatment at the hands of the staff. "A Mind That Found Itself" was widely and favorably reviewed, became a bestseller, and is still in print.