Between the two world wars health services in Europe and America began to extend from institutional care of the seriously mentally disordered to cover early treatment of less serious cases, after-care of recovered cases and organised care in the community. Even more ambitiously, there was an expansion of interest in prevention of mental disorder and promotion of environmental conditions to encourage positive mental health among the normal population. A variety of terms were used to describe these new approaches: in Britain a tradition of charitable and local government economic assistance shaped the emergence of ‘mental welfare’ and ‘community care’; in the United States Adolf Meyer adopted the term ‘biopsychiatry’ to reflect his holistic approach; in France the terms used were ‘mental prophylaxis’ and ‘psychotechnics’; and in the Soviet Union it was ‘psychohygiene’. However, the most popular and all-embracing term used to describe these developments was ‘mental hygiene’.

The simultaneous adoption of mental hygiene strategies was partially the result of common reactions to social and welfare problems of the interwar period. However, the pace of socio-economic and political modernisation was not even. It is therefore worthwhile considering whether parallel developments were, instead, the result of an international mental hygiene movement. This chapter will consider the extent to which there was an international movement and its interaction with national mental hygiene movements and organisations.