Doing Psychiatry in Postwar Europe: Practices, Routines and Experiences

The book explores the practices that reshaped European psychiatry in the second half of the twentieth century, such as deinstitutionalization, neuroleptics, patient centrality, and overcoming asylum-era habits. It examines how these practices emerged and installed themselves, facing resistance and contributing to enlarging psychiatry's fields of expertise, blurring its once-more-defined boundaries.

Format: Hardback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 16 April 2024
Publisher: Manchester University Press

The study of psychiatry delves into the rich history of European psychiatry in the second half of the 20th century, offering a close and insightful examination of the practices that played a pivotal role in shaping the field of mental health. Through a comprehensive exploration of case studies from various regions across Europe, readers gain a profound appreciation of how innovative approaches and new ways of doing have transcended mere catchphrases such as deinstitutionalization, the widespread prescription of neuroleptics, the prioritization of patient-centered care, and the breaking of asylum-era habits.

The chapters in this book adopt a multifaceted approach, drawing from a diverse range of sources and often adopting a small-scale perspective. They meticulously examine the emergence and establishment of these new practices, documenting their gradual integration into the psychiatric landscape while also encountering resistance and prompting the injection of new purposes. This dynamic interplay ultimately contributes to the expansion of psychiatrists' fields of expertise, blurring the once-clear boundaries of the discipline.

This electronic version of the title is freely accessible under a Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0) licence, allowing readers to download and utilize it for their research and educational purposes. The DOI (Digital Object Identifier) for this title is 10.7765/9781526173485, providing a reliable and traceable reference for academic and professional use.

Dimension: 216 x 138 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781526173461