 Like many psychiatric hospitals, Dixmont became overcrowded during the 1920s due to the rise of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients from World War I.The hospital took in as many patients as they could fit until beds lined the hallways, but was eventually forced to stop accepting new admissions.Dixmont began experiencing financial difficulties as early as the Great Depression where they could only afford to supply employees with room and board; no salary.