Mental Institutions in America

Social Policy to 1875

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Psychology, History
Cover of the book Mental Institutions in America by Robert Golembiewski, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Robert Golembiewski ISBN: 9781351505710
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: September 4, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Robert Golembiewski
ISBN: 9781351505710
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: September 4, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Mental Institutions in America: Social Policy to 1875 examines how American society responded to complex problems arising out of mental illness in the nineteenth century. All societies have had to confront sickness, disease, and dependency, and have developed their own ways of dealing with these phenomena. The mental hospital became the characteristic institution charged with the responsibility of providing care and treatment for individuals seemingly incapable of caring for themselves during protracted periods of incapacitation.The services rendered by the hospital were of benefit not merely to the afflicted individual but to the community. Such an institution embodied a series of moral imperatives by providing humane and scientific treatment of disabled individuals, many of whose families were unable to care for them at home or to pay the high costs of private institutional care. Yet the mental hospital has always been more than simply an institution that offered care and treatment for the sick and disabled. Its structure and functions have usually been linked with a variety of external economic, political, social, and intellectual forces, if only because the way in which a society handled problems of disease and dependency was partly governed by its social structure and values.The definition of disease, the criteria for institutionalization, the financial and administrative structures governing hospitals, the nature of the decision-making process, differential care and treatment of various socio-economic groups were issues that transcended strictly medical and scientific considerations. Mental Institutions in America attempts to interpret the mental hospital as a social as well as a medical institution and to illuminate the evolution of policy toward dependent groups such as the mentally ill. This classic text brilliantly studies the past in depth and on its own terms.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Mental Institutions in America: Social Policy to 1875 examines how American society responded to complex problems arising out of mental illness in the nineteenth century. All societies have had to confront sickness, disease, and dependency, and have developed their own ways of dealing with these phenomena. The mental hospital became the characteristic institution charged with the responsibility of providing care and treatment for individuals seemingly incapable of caring for themselves during protracted periods of incapacitation.The services rendered by the hospital were of benefit not merely to the afflicted individual but to the community. Such an institution embodied a series of moral imperatives by providing humane and scientific treatment of disabled individuals, many of whose families were unable to care for them at home or to pay the high costs of private institutional care. Yet the mental hospital has always been more than simply an institution that offered care and treatment for the sick and disabled. Its structure and functions have usually been linked with a variety of external economic, political, social, and intellectual forces, if only because the way in which a society handled problems of disease and dependency was partly governed by its social structure and values.The definition of disease, the criteria for institutionalization, the financial and administrative structures governing hospitals, the nature of the decision-making process, differential care and treatment of various socio-economic groups were issues that transcended strictly medical and scientific considerations. Mental Institutions in America attempts to interpret the mental hospital as a social as well as a medical institution and to illuminate the evolution of policy toward dependent groups such as the mentally ill. This classic text brilliantly studies the past in depth and on its own terms.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Within School Walls by Robert Golembiewski
Cover of the book The Pluralist Theory of the State by Robert Golembiewski
Cover of the book An Introduction to Gender and Wellbeing in Microeconomics by Robert Golembiewski
Cover of the book Teaching and Learning Pragmatics by Robert Golembiewski
Cover of the book 'The Unconquered Land' and Other Old Testament Essays by Robert Golembiewski
Cover of the book Engagements with Narrative by Robert Golembiewski
Cover of the book Closeted Writing and Lesbian and Gay Literature by Robert Golembiewski
Cover of the book Race Matters by Robert Golembiewski
Cover of the book Family Narratives and the Development of an Autobiographical Self by Robert Golembiewski
Cover of the book Continental Idealism by Robert Golembiewski
Cover of the book The World Mining Industry by Robert Golembiewski
Cover of the book Managing Discipline in Schools by Robert Golembiewski
Cover of the book Dams and Waterways by Robert Golembiewski
Cover of the book Moral Order and Social Disorder by Robert Golembiewski
Cover of the book On Reading Books to Children by Robert Golembiewski
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy