The History of Territorial Psychiatric Hospitals in Russia

Abstract

The establishment of district psychiatric hospitals in the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th-early 20th century is one of  the most important stages in the development of domestic psychiatry. In fact, it was the first experience in the design and  construction of psychiatric hospitals as large specialized autonomous complexes aimed not only at isolation of patients, but also at  therapy of their condition. The idea of building such institutions was suggested by reality itself: city houses for the mentally ill under the jurisdiction of provincial and then zemstvo authorities were overcrowded, but there was a lack of specialized doctors, since  psychiatry in Russia in the first half of the 19th century was only beginning to gain scientific prestige. In a sense, the development  of Russian psychiatry and the evolution of the project of district hospitals for the mentally ill pushed each other: leading  psychiatrists of their time took a most enthusiastic part in the development of the project, and the hospitals established through  their efforts provided enormous practical material for studying mental diseases and methods of their therapy.

Keywords

history of Russian psychiatry / territorial psychiatric hospitals / coercive treatment / care of mentally ill patients / occupational therapy

References

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RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Tselischev D.V., Chernyaev M.I.