Care and Treatment of the Mentally Ill in North Wales 1800-2000 (Paperback, New)

Providing an account of the changing provision for the insane in North Wales from the beginning of the 19th century to the end of the 20th, this book discusses policy and treatment developments against a background of social and cultural issues that include the specific Welsh context. Through an in-depth analysis of patient case histories, admission records, and certification papers, a detailed study is presented of not only the circumstances and social origins of patients but also the changing attributions of causative factors in mental illness. This broadly chronological study demonstrates how insanity can be thought of as a social construct and shows that the history of insanity also illustrates the social and cultural history of Wales.