Straight Jacket

Up until the 1050’s the methods that were used to treat patients with mental disorders ranged from questionable to downright inhumane. Most of the time they did more to hurt these people than to help them. Some of the practices included ice baths for patients who were too excitable, electroshock therapy, insulin shock therapy, castration (for patients who were also sex offenders), and of course lobotomies. The lobotomies themselves could be something as simple as navigating an ice pick behind a persons eye and tapping it into their brain, to actually removing a pieces of skull and a piece of gray matter with it.

Most often, they were forced into a straight jacket and locked away in a room with padded walls so that they could not hurt themselves; and that is where the stereotypical Halloween costume for the ‘mental patient’ comes from. There are versions for both men and women should you decide to be a little crazy this holiday, and the come in several different varieties as well.

For women there is a ‘sexy straight jacket’ costume that features the jacket (of course) in pristine white; though unlike a normal straight jacket it features a scoop neck and an oval hole underneath to show a bit of cleavage, as well as some stylishly placed straps. It comes with a cute mini skirt and hat as well.

For the men there are straight jackets ranging from cotton fabrics to full-on authentic canvas jackets. They come in a variety of white and off white colors, as well as some in brown. There is a particular costume called the ‘straightjacket maniac’ that comes with a brown jacket and black straps, as well as a mask that looks like a maniac’s face and a cadge to go around your head. This costume has a more medieval feel to it and would definitely be fun to wear to a party. There are also straight jacket costumes associated with particular criminals, such as Hannibal Lector.