Guides @ UF: HIS3942: Histories of Mental Illness: Primary Sources for the History of Mental Illness

Useful Databases for the History of Mental Illness

These databases provide access to primary resources related to the history of mental illness. Some of the content may be broader than the scope of your research, so you will want to use advanced searching features to narrow your results.

America's Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Includes Early American Newspapers, Series 3: From Farm to City and African American Newspapers.
American Periodicals This link opens in a new window
ProQuest
APA PsycINFO (on EBSCOHost platform) 1887-current This link opens in a new window
Useful for accessing psychiatric journal content from the late nineteenth through the twentieth century.
Gale Primary Sources This link opens in a new window
Unified database for searching and accessing primary sources from Gale.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
For primary source content, make sure you filter your results.
Popular Medicine in America, 1800-1900 This link opens in a new window
AM-Adam Matthew
PsychiatryOnline DSM-5 This link opens in a new window
Provides access to all editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. To access older editions of the DSM, go to the "DSM Library" tab at the top of the page and select "DSM Legacy".
Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000 This link opens in a new window

Primary Source Content from the Web

Some additional online resources for finding digitized and transcribed primary source materials:

Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)

Eugenics Movement in the United States
This primary source set explores the eugenics movement to help readers analyze how racism, sexism, classism, and ableism (discrimination against people with disabilities) influenced eugenics laws and programs in the United States.
"Mental Disorders" in the DPLA
Content from the U.S. and Europe covering a wide range of dates and topics related to "mental disorders."

Library of Congress Digital Collections

Edward F. Edinger Papers
The papers (3,100 items; 10,077 images) of leading Jungian analyst Edward F. Edinger (1922-1998) span the years 1550 (photostatic copy of an alchemical treatise) to 2016, with the bulk of the material dating from 1951 to 1998. Reproduced from the originals donated to the Manuscript Division in 2016-2021, the collection illustrates Edinger’s ability to explain C. G. Jung's ideas and concepts in a simple and precise manner, making Jung's work more accessible. The papers also provide insight into Edinger's own theoretical work, including his belief that modern man's psychological disorientation was a result of the loss of a core religious mythology, and his interest in the therapeutic role of alchemy, literature, philosophy, and religion. Included are writings, lectures, correspondence, notes, photographs, military records, printed matter, research material, transcriptions, and other material relating to Edinger’s career. Additional collection items include Edinger’s occasional journal entries and notes, drawings of the psyche, and a diagram of the historical precursors of psychotherapy.
Sigmund Freud Papers
The papers of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) span the years from about the 6th century B.C.E. (a small Greek statue) to 1998, with the bulk of material dating from 1871 to 1939. The digitized collection documents Freud's founding of psychoanalysis, the maturation of psychoanalytic theory, the refinement of its clinical technique, and the proliferation of its adherents and critics. Many facets of Freud's life and work are reflected, including his early medical and clinical training; his relationship with family, friends, colleagues, students, and patients; his association with early psychoanalytic societies; his perspectives on analytical training; and his numerous writings.