Massachusetts Mental Health Center

The Psychopathic Dept. of Boston State Hospital was established in 1912. It became Boston Psychopathic Hospital in 1920; that was renamed Massachusetts Mental Health Center in 1956.

The Psychopathic Department of Boston State Hospital was established by Massachusetts in 1912. It became Boston Psychopathic Hospital in 1920; that was renamed Massachusetts Mental Health Center in 1956.

Under the direction of the Dept. of Mental Health, the Massachusetts Mental Health Center has been responsible for providing patient care and treatment and psychiatric training in Massachusetts, and conducting research into emotional and mental diseases. Since 1967 it has serviced several catchment areas of the departmental Region VI, i.e. the Boston metropolitan area; it is also a teaching hospital of the Harvard Medical School.

The center began as the Psychopathic Dept. of Boston State Hospital, in 1912, under the direction of Dr. Elmer E. Southard. It separated from the hospital and was renamed the Boston Psychopathic Hospital (BPH) per St 1920, c 537. Per St 1956, c 63 it received its current name.

It was initially created to provide for the reception, diagnosis, and disposition of acute psychiatric patients in Boston, usually admitting patients for short periods only. After diagnosis patients were transferred to state hospitals or released for outpatient care. As the institution developed a reputation for active teaching and research in psychiatry, cases from other state hospitals were transferred to it for observation or special treatment.

After the first few years outpatient care was offered not only to discharged patients, but to the general public, with emergency and diagnostic services and special units for children and adolescents. The outpatient department of BPH was renamed the Southard Clinic in the mid-1940s in honor of the first superintendant.

By 1943 BPH was no longer a receiving hospital for all patients. Its focus instead shifted to treating and researching various mental illnesses. While many of the state hospitals were primarily custodial in nature, BPH emphasized treatment. During the 1950s and 1960s it became more of a community based facility, which was formalized when it was assigned DMH catchment areas in 1967. At the same time the change of name to Massachusetts Mental Health Center reflected its evolution into a multifacted facility.

NAME AUTHORITY NOTE. Series relating to the agencies described above can be found by searching the following access points for the time period stated: 1912-1920--Boston State Hospital. Psychopathic Dept.; 1920-1956--Boston Psychopathic Hospital; 1956-present--Massachusetts Mental Health Center.