Chapter 2 Chapter Overview

This chapter provides context to the field of practice known as psychiatry, the professionals known as psychiatrists, and the syndrome currently known as mental illness, through a narration, interpretation, and critical evaluation of the history of mental health. Throughout the chapter, similarities and distinctions are made between earlier and later terms, definitions and (treatment) practices. Controversies and debates surrounding the field are also discussed.

Starting from a historical point where abnormal behaviours were referred to as “madness” and treatment modalities included religious ceremonies and natural therapies (e.g., olfactory therapy), the chapter takes us on the complex journey of how medical doctors created the niche they called psychiatry. It underscores the role that science, changing public perception, state legitimation, the emergence of asylums and modern therapies, as well as social movements played in designating and transforming the field and practice into what it has become today.

Analyzing the historical trends and contemporary developments presented in the chapter, it is clear that perceptions about mental health and illness would remain fluid and its boundaries, constantly contested.