Where did Abnormal psychology originate?

1 Answer
Mar 20, 2016

Ancient - 500,000 years ago.
Hippocrates - 350BC (and other Greeks)
Middle Ages - 790AD - Arabia
Modern Development - Paracelsus, 1530s
18th Century - France, Philippe Pinel

Explanation:

Earliest references are models of spirituality and early biology. Hippocrates theory that mental illness was a result of a fluid imbalance in the body, although flawed, was a significant contribution to modern-day medical thinking (Hansell, & Damour, 2008).

In modern-day research clinicians use the DSM-IV as the primary tool to diagnose various mental disorders by using a multidimensional approach to diagnosing mental dysfunction (AllPsych Online, 2003).

See also the following for an interesting overview:
http://www.slideshare.net/Alexvellappally/history-of-abnormal-psychology-36225756

AllPsych Online. (2003). Psychology 101. Retrieved from http://allpsych.com/psychology101/psychopathology.html
Hansell, J., & Damour, L. (2008). Abnormal Psychology (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

http://psychologicalstudies.blogspot.com/2013/05/historical-perspectives-of-abnormal.html