This article is a qualitative research with socio-historical approach which aimed at describing the history of the treatment given to psychiatric patients hospitalized in the old Hospital named Colônia Sant'Ana, in the period between 1941 and 1960. The data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews with five employees that worked at the Hospital in the period, using the Verbal Method of History. After the analysis of the interviews using the content analysis of Bardin, it was achieved the following results - the psychiatric patients hospitalized were submitted to some therapies such as: electric discharge, insulin therapy, specifics drugs, occupational therapy and family care. Although many of these therapies are currently in disuse, and are criticized by diverse social segments, they were in agreement to the psychiatric practice by that time.
Psychiatric nursing; Psychiatry; Treatment; History