Final answer:
Asylums were the first institutions created specifically to house people with psychological disorders, originating from 19th-century reform efforts for better treatment and care of the mentally ill. A is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first institutions specifically created for the purpose of housing people with psychological disorders were asylums.
This came about due to reform efforts in the 19th century when people, such as Dorothea Lynde Dix, recognized the need to provide adequate care and housing for the mentally ill rather than keeping them in prisons alongside criminals and debtors.
Reformers believed that these social deviants could be reformed and morally redeemed in the proper settings. Asylums were thus established to offer treatment and provide a specialized environment for those with mental illnesses, separate from institutions like jails or workhouses which dealt with different social issues.