Asylums In The 19th Century

The relationship between discourse and our perception of and dealing with reality is a complex one. The way we talk about things shapes how we perceive a certain subject and thus how we approach it. On the other hand, the way we talk about phenomena is influenced not only by the phenomenon (which might be created and structured with the words we use), but also by our attitude towards it as well as other cultural and social variables like our weltbild or the social context in which it takes place.
In this comment, I will focus solely on the implications of the terms used for mental health facilities over the last centuries, but it should be remembered that this is just one perspective on the relationship between the terms and the social context

Even though the term has changed its connotation, I think it originally reflected an approach to mental illness that is similar to the approach early sociologists chose to explain social problems: As the society changed rapidly and life became centered in cities and dominated by industrial production modes, new problems emerged: criminality, poverty, and mental illness. Those problems had existed before, but they become more pressuring then. The term asylum makes reference to the asylum refugees from war zones seek. And indeed, in the beginning, asylums were thought to be safe (and calm) spaces for those that suffered from the chaos and overpopulation that became widespread in the 19th century. Mental illness was the product of social problems and stress and isolation from this stress should provide help for those afflicted - at least in the

With this change, new ways of encountering mental illness emerged: Educational campaigns, as well as political measures, were developed and cause and effect of mental illness and society were reversed: Social problems were at least partially due to "high" prevalences of mental illness rather than the other way round. That meant i.a. that science promised to solve social problems. In times of growing social problems (and probably discontent), this was a strong argument for psychiatry (as well as for other academic branches). The change in terminology, therefore, reflects a change in attitudes that could be found in different areas - but it was also a strategy which helped psychiatry to establish itself as a scientific discipline that should receive attention and