The evolution of psychiatry in Russia

ABSTRACT The history of Russian psychiatry goes back many centuries. Since time immemorial, insane people in Russia lived in monasteries. In 1760, two special asylums were opened. The year 1824 saw the opening of the psychiatric department in St. Petersburg. The first written work appeared in 1825 (Solntsev’s thesis on hypochondria). European psychiatry has influenced the development of Russian psychiatry. Magnan visited Russia repeatedly; Korsakov, Bekhterev, Serbsky were regularly published in foreign psychiatric journals. The names of Kandinsky and Clerambault were joined forever in the syndrome title for mental automatism [Morozov, P. V. (2014b). From psychopathology – To biological correlates (Kandinsky-Clerambault Syndrome). Dynamic Psychiatry, 47(2–3), 182–194.]. Prior to the 1917 revolution, psychiatric legislation in Russia closely followed French law. A new law focusing on the development of outpatient service networks and free medical care, including free medication, was established. Later the influence of German and Swiss psychiatry increased. The Gannushkin school paid more attention to borderline psychiatry; the Snezhnevsky school focused on the study of schizophrenia. The last years are characterized by the consequences of the new law, the restructuring of mental health services, deinstitutionalization and the transition to a bio-psychosocial model; the formation of multi-disciplinary teams helps the growing numbers of outpatient psychiatric and psychological services at general hospitals. Underfunding of psychiatry is the main problem today.