A Social History of Mental Health Care in Greece, c. 1900—1920

This book examines the social and cultural meanings of mental illness and psychiatric hospitalisation in early twentieth-century Greece. Although Greek psychiatrists were trained in countries such as France and Germany, and followed general European models of psychiatry, they practiced within a different economic, social, and cultural context. By focusing on a country on the periphery of Europe, this book explores new dimensions of mental health care on the continent, and illustrates how European theories were adapted by Greek psychiatrists. The author presents case studies of two Greek mental health hospitals, Dromokaitio and Eginitio, both of which were situated in Athens, but treated patients from all over Greece. Exploring how patients came to be admitted to the hospitals, the book highlights the relationship between communities and mental health institutions, and thus, the interplay between society and asylum. It investigates both private and public discourses around mental illness and hospitalisation, bringing to the forefront patients, family members, state and local authorities, charitable organisations, and medical professionals. Combining multiple perspectives on psychiatric hospitalisation, this book provides a nuanced account of the history of mental illness and health care in Greece, and highlights the different purposes, limitations, and contradictions inherent in treating the mentally ill.

Despo Kritsotaki is a Researcher in the Modern Greek History Research Centre at the Academy of Athens, Greece. She is interested in the history of health sciences in the twentieth century, focusing on mental health and women’s health.