Mental diseases: a public health problem

This work is a concise elaboration of the origin of various psychoses generally accepted by American psychiatrists with an aim to shed light on the efforts that led up to the developments at that period. The author of this work, James Vance May (1873–1947), was an American psychiatrist and an early proponent for statistical studies and the classification of mental diseases. He was among the first to recognize mental illness as a public health issue, an opinion that did not attain recognition and acceptance for many years. The author has attempted to limit himself to reflect the views of others and has used authentic citations from acknowledged authorities.

The conclusions in this work are entirely based on facts rather than on conceptual theories or personal observations alone. The social, financial, and clinical factors of mental diseases must all be given serious consideration according to the author if psychiatry has to satisfy its commitment to the community and take a dignified role in advancing modern medicine.