madhouse

Madhouse is a term that historically refers to a psychiatric hospital or asylum, used in English-speaking regions to denote a place associated with madness, disarray, or confinement. The word blends a reference to mental illness with a building or institution, and in ordinary usage it can describe highly chaotic or crowded situations, such as a busy workplace or a tumultuous event.

In popular culture, Madhouse is a common title used across film, television, and music. Works bearing the name often explore themes of psychological distress, insanity, confinement, or horror, and may use the setting of a mental institution or a state of mental chaos as a central element. Because multiple productions and releases have adopted this title, the exact reference typically depends on context, with disambiguation needed to identify the specific film, episode, album, or other work being referenced.

Beyond entertainment, the term remains part of everyday language as a metaphor for anything perceived as frenzied or out of control. It also appears in discussions of mental health, media representations of psychiatric care, and critiques of institutions. See also: asylum, psychiatric hospital, insanity.