Abnormal PsychologyBrendan A. Maher died on March 17, 2009, at the age of 84.

Abstract

In this chapter, we present a history of abnormal psychology, now often called psychopathology. We begin with the classical period and end with the present day. Our discussion considers different views about the etiology of psychopathology, beginning with medical practitioners in ancient Greece. We also describe how the mentally ill were regarded and treated during different periods in time. Our account can only be a partial history, however, because little of the field's history is well documented. Theories about psychopathology and the ways to treat it during earlier periods of history were developed by physicians, philosophers, theologians, and lawyers. Our knowledge is derived from their extant writings, medical treatises, and church and legal documents, as well as historical narratives, diaries, and literature. Keywords: humors; melancholy; classification; insanity; animal spirits; asylums; moral management; hypnosis; psychoanalysis; antipsychiatry; behaviorism