Which Swiss clinic treated Zelda Fitzgerald in 1930?

Zelda Fitzgerald was treated at the Prangins Clinic in Switzerland in 1930. More precisely, she entered Les Rives de Prangins, a psychiatric clinic near Nyon on the shore of Lake Geneva, on June 5, 1930.

The hospitalization followed a period of intense physical and psychological strain. Zelda had been pursuing a demanding ballet career in Europe, and her health deteriorated after an earlier breakdown. Before reaching Prangins, she had been treated at the Malmaison Clinic near Paris and then at the Valmont Clinic in Glion, Switzerland.

At Prangins, psychiatrist Oscar Forel provisionally diagnosed Zelda with schizophrenia. The diagnosis was later confirmed by psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler, although later commentators and mental-health experts have questioned whether bipolar disorder may have better explained her symptoms. Zelda remained at Prangins until September 1931.

Her illness deeply affected F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life and writing. He stayed nearby in Swiss hotels, wrote frequently about her condition, and drew on their experiences when developing the psychological and marital themes of Tender Is the Night. Her later hospitalizations included Baltimore’s Phipps Psychiatric Clinic and Sheppard Pratt Hospital.