Supernatural Theories

Under the supernatural theory, the Hebrews thought of demonic possession as a psychological disorder, who “saw madness as punishment from God, so treatment consisted of confessing sins and repenting.” (Farreras, I. G., 2015). While around 400 BC, the Greeks rejected that theory claiming that a deficiency or too much of a body fluid was the reason behind the disorder, known as humorism. But as the Middle Age came around, the supernatural theories persisted again in describing mental disorders. This theory was brought up again due to the fact of the natural disasters that occurred (plagues and famines). This brought up the conclusion to many people that the devil was the culprit for the natural disasters and thus, the mental disorders. By the thirteenth century, people associated mental illness with witchcraft. While some people were against this association stating that, “Accused witches were actually women with mental illnesses and that mental illness was not due to demonic possession but to faulty metabolism and disease.” (Schoeneman, 1977; Zilboorg & Henry, 1941 as cited by Farreras, I. G., 2015). This idea was highly turned down by many. Only until people realized that witchcraft did not

With what was performed of the inhumane surgeries, treatments also involved rest and sleep therapy. This is going the more human and careful approach, where the public’s view of mental health treatment would appreciate more. But still trying to fully figure out what psychosurgery was all about as well as trying to understand more fully the brain, as quoted by an author that was cited by Dartmouth, “In this therapeutic and theoretical vacuum, almost any treatment was tried.” (Valenstein, 1986 as cited by Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science, April 8, 2008). The different types of psychosurgery are here today due to the many treatments that emerged from doctors and researchers from the