Historical Perspectives on the Treatment of Mental Illness in the United States

The traditional historical view of medicine is one of progress—slow but steady improvement made possible by the achievements of earlier pioneers. In psychiatry, a field in which cures remain elusive, this view has been called into question. The following article surveys the past treatment of mental illness in the United States and analyzes the work of various historians of the field. Changing definitions of insanity and concepts of care are considered, and implications for social policy are suggested.