[Mental Illness in Chile: Institutional Framework from 1852 to 1928]

In recent decades, sustained historiographical work has been evident across various disciplines, including medicine. In this regard, studies have focused on the historical development of treatments, objects, tools in the field, pathologies, among others.

This research, continuing the reported trend, analyzed the evolution of mental institutions in Chile during the period 1852-1928.

Access to the past was achieved through a historiographical approach, involving archival work that prioritized the use of primary sources.

First, there is clear evidence of considerable foreign influence in the establishment of mental health institutions in Chile, as well as in the advances, trends, and methods of care and treatment of mental disorders. Second, a shift was observed in the perception of individuals with mental disorders: initially, they were subject to punitive measures, often associated with confinement or abandonment, but later, a more humanitarian view emerged, recognizing them as individuals with rights, leading to changes in their treatment, the infrastructure of asylum institutions, and the treatments themselves, among other aspects. Third, during this period, three institutions for the mentally ill were established; however, these lacked the space and resources needed to provide adequate treatment to all citizens with psychopathologies. Nonetheless, there was a growing focus on their care, as evidenced by the evolution of services offered within these establishments and the enactment of laws aimed at supporting people with mental illnesses.

The results help to understand the current state of mental health in Chile, highlighting a concern for this area but also pointing out a budgetary and institutional deficit that dates back to its foundational milestones in the 19th century.