Conférence - Akihito Suzuki : Madness at Home in Tokyo: The Psychiatrist, the Patient, and the Family in Tokyo, 1920-1945

About this episode

The episode discusses the role of family in the treatment and perception of mental illness in Tokyo from 1920 to 1945.

Patrick Boucheron Histoire des pouvoirs en Europe occidentale, XIIIe-XVIe siècle Collège de France Année 2025-2026 Madness at Home in Tokyo: The Psychiatrist, the Patient, and the Family in Tokyo, 1920-1945 Akihito Suzuki Université de Tokyo Résumé The family of a mentally ill patient was one of the most important agents in the general picture of insanity in society. Family members such as husband, wife, father, mother, and children played crucial roles in bringing the insane member to medical or religious practitioners. In Europe during the early modern period, family members in countries such as France, England, Germany and the Netherlands collaborated with medical or religious professionals or practitioners to care for, control, or even fabricate mentally ill patients. In such situations of domestic process, whether the problem was a real mental illness did not always matter: the domestic circumstances or social trouble were often major issues.

People in this episode

Host: Patrick Boucheron

Guest: Akihito Suzuki

Topics covered

• mental illness
• family dynamics
• historical psychiatry
• Tokyo
• early modern period
• medical practices

Keywords

• mental illness
• Tokyo
• family
• psychiatrist
• patient
• history
• medical practices
• 1920-1945

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Université de Tokyo