Approaching Polish madness: concepts and treatment of psychosis in Polish psychiatry of the inter-war period

Abstract

The institutional organization of psychiatry in Poland when it became independent faced the problem of the integration of three ex-partition territories having different laws, health-care systems and psychiatric cultures. Due to the high incidence of mental health problems, among which psychosis was the most frequent, psychiatric care facilities had to be organized as quickly and efficiently as possible and had to address the issue of psychosis both conceptually and practically. This study investigates the concept of psychosis and methods of its treatment in inter-war Polish psychiatric care facilities in relation to the sociocultural context of the institutional organization of psychiatry in Poland and the influence of major European concepts and treatment practices regarding psychoses.