Neurasthenia, psy sciences and the 'great leap forward' in Maoist China.

Abstract

The present study looks into the much-neglected history of neurasthenia in Maoist China in relation to the development of psy sciences. It begins with an examination of the various factors that transformed neurasthenia into a major health issue from the late 1950s to mid-1960s. It then investigates a distinctive culture of therapeutic experiment of neurasthenia during this period, with emphasis on the ways in which psy scientists and medical practitioners manoeuvred in a highly politicized environment. The study concludes with a discussion of the legacy of these neurasthenia studies - in particular, the experiment with the famous 'speedy and synthetic therapy' - and of the implications the present study may have for future historical study of psychiatry and science.

• Authors: Wen-Ji Wang
• Journal: History of psychiatry (Hist Psychiatry) Vol. 30 Issue 4 Pg. 443-456 (12 2019) ISSN: 0957-154X [Print] England
• PMID: 31238740 (Publication Type: Historical Article, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Topics

• China
• Communism (history)
• History, 20th Century
• Humans
• Neurasthenia (history, therapy)
• Psychiatry (history)
• Psychology (history)
• Therapeutic Human Experimentation (history)