The Mental Hygiene Movement in Palestine

Abstract

During the early decades of the twentieth century, psychiatry was strongly influenced in science and practice by different political and ideological interpretations of public health. The mental hygiene movement, instead of focusing on the treatment of mental illness, emphasized early intervention, prevention, and the promotion of mental health. This movement, originating during the first decade of the previous century, was influential until about the early sixties, and then became increasingly incorporated into mainstream psychiatry. In this article we attempt to explore the mental hygiene movement in Palestine since its early beginnings during the second decade of the twentieth century. The first part, which mentions some of the various definitions offered for the term mental hygiene, is followed by a description of the mental hygiene movement in the world, its origins and development. A review of the mental hygiene movement in Palestine, its history, and eminent figures then follows. The professional fields of the movement are discussed, emphasizing that eugenics was not a mainstream subject in the agenda of the mental hygienists in Palestine. Finally, a retrospective view of the mental hygiene movement in Palestine is offered.