HCISPP · Question #63
In the preindustrial era, asylums were built by_____ to accommodate patients with severe and chronic mental illness.
The correct answer is D. The state governments. State governments were responsible for building asylums in the preindustrial era, driven by the moral reform movement of the mid-1800s (particularly Dorothea Dix's advocacy), which pushed states to take institutional responsibility for the mentally ill. The federal government…
Question
In the preindustrial era, asylums were built by_____ to accommodate patients with severe and chronic mental illness.
Options
- AThe federal government
- BPrivate entrepreneurs
- CPsychiatrists
- DThe state governments
How the community answered
(39 responses)- A3% (1)
- B5% (2)
- D92% (36)
Explanation
State governments were responsible for building asylums in the preindustrial era, driven by the moral reform movement of the mid-1800s (particularly Dorothea Dix's advocacy), which pushed states to take institutional responsibility for the mentally ill. The federal government (A) had no such role - mental health care was not a federal mandate until the 20th century. Private entrepreneurs (B) did operate some facilities, but the large-scale asylum system was a government initiative, not a for-profit one. Psychiatrists (C) were clinicians who worked within institutions but did not build or fund them. A helpful memory tip: think of the word "state" hospital - institutions like "Willowbrook State School" or "Pilgrim State Hospital" carry the word state in their names precisely because state governments built and operated them.
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