History of Social Psychiatry and Historical Aspects of the World Association of Social Psychiatry

Abstract Social psychiatry is a discipline that focuses on the social dimension of mental health, mental illness, and mental healthcare. Social psychiatry uses the concepts and methods of the social sciences, including psychology, sociology, and anthropology. In 1903 the term “social” was first linked to psychiatry. In 1911 psychiatric care outside the asylums was advocated. Dr. E. E. Southard of Harvard Medical School, in 1922, taught “social psychiatry,” which he termed “an art now during development by which the psychiatrist deals with social problems.” The First and Second World Wars advanced psychiatry, including social psychiatry. The tumultuous 1960s bought a myriad of advances, including family therapy, community psychiatry, and the biopsychosocial model. The World Association of Social Psychiatry (WASP) was founded in 1964 by Joshua Bierer of the United Kingdom. In 1976, the World Congress of Social Psychiatry was held for the first time in Opatija, Croatia. In 2001, the World Association of Social Psychiatry (WASP) was officially launched. WASP had a phenomenal growth, especially during the past decade. Currently WASP has 27 member societies representing all the continents. It is the beacon of promoting social psychiatry in etiology and the treatment of human wellness, and the prevention and treatment of mental suffering.