A History of Norwegian Psychiatry

Abstract

In Norway the building of asylums started in 1855 with the establishment of Gaustad State Asylum. Until the 1950s Norwegian psychiatry was mainly a hospital psychiatry, strongly influenced by the pre-war German tradition. After World War II, it was influenced by British social psychiatry and American psychoanalysis. Psychiatric units in general hospitals were established in the 1960s onwards and outpatient clinics from the 1970s. During the last twenty years Norwegian psychiatry has taken a more biological trend with stronger emphasis on diagnostics and drug treatment. The increase in the number of psychiatrists and especially psychologists has been formidable during the last fifty years.