THIS RESEARCH-STUDY examines the conditions under which the phenomenon of "Makronisos madness" appeared and evolved during the period when political exiles were "hosted" on the island. Without dramatizations or stereotypical notions about mental illnesses and the suffering exiles, the characteristics of the individuals are sought. Who were the "madmen" of Makronisos, their personal stories, the "madness" that tormented them, and their "post-reformative" lives. The political, social, psychological, and clinical conditions that defined their treatment are also investigated, as well as the representations of "Makronisos madness" in artistic creation.

An attempt is made to break the "silence" and bring the subject to "discussion." Only through the signification of "Makronisos madness" and its understanding can ultimately come the catharsis. A process that has likely occurred with all studies conducted so far about Makronisos and the Civil War in general.

The conducted research was primarily based on the entirety of the existing literature on Makronisos, the archival material of the Public Psychiatric Hospital in Dafni, where a large number of "mad" Makronisians were admitted, and the Dromokaiteio. Supplementary data were found in the press, the General State Archives, and the registry of the Panhellenic Union of Prisoners of the Makronisos Fighters.

The publication also includes: a list of "mad" Makronisians, a relevant publication by the poet George Mylonogiannis, previously unknown information about the "psychiatrist of Makronisos" Antonis Palaiologos, and unpublished primary photographic material.