alienism
/ˈeɪlɪənɪz(ə)m/noun
1Originally North American. The fact of being a foreigner; alien status or character; otherness.
2The study of mental disorders and their treatment; the branch of medicine dealing with this; = psychiatry. Now historical.
- Now used especially with reference to psychiatry in France..
Origin
Late 18th century. From either alien or alien + -ism.