The History of Mental Illness Treatment
Mental illness has been around since as early as 5000 BCE(Before Common Era) and the treatment of mental illness has been around just as long. There has always been an interest of what happens when a person's mind turns against them, and just what can be done, if anything to help or reverse this condition. Efforts to take care of mental illness date back as early as 5000 BCE as evidenced by the unearthing of trephined human skulls in locations that were residence to ancient cultures (Porter, 2002). Earliest mankind commonly believed that mental illness was the effect of supernatural or some sort of mystical phenomena such as divine or demonic possession, sorcery, or an angry god and so responded
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They were also very advanced in the areas of medicine, surgery, and the understanding of the human body. Two papyri dating as far back as the sixteenth century BCE, the Edwin Smith papyrus and the Ebers papyrus, show early handling of wounds, surgical procedures, and identifies, more than likely for the very first time, the brain as the site of mental functions. These papyri also demonstrate that, regardless of revolutionary thinking about illness, magic and spells were still used to treat sicknesses that were of mysterious origin, often believed to be the result of supernatural powers such as the devil or unhappy divine beings (Butcher 2007). Early Egyptians also agreed with the early Greeks idea that hysteria in women, today also known as Conversion Disorder, was the result of a “wandering uterus,” and thusly used fumigation of the vagina to entice the organ back into proper position (Alexander 1996). In each of these ancient civilizations, psychological illness was credited to some supernatural power, usually a unhappy god or goddess. Most illness, especially psychological illness, was believed to be …show more content…
It was not until an Australian psychiatrist J.F.J Cade introduced the psychotropic drug Lithium in 1949 that psychopharmacology actually took off. A string of successful anti-psychotic drugs were introduced in the 1950s that did not alleviate psychosis but were able to manage its symptoms. Chlorpromazine (commonly known as Thorazine) was the earliest of the anti-psychotic drugs, discovered in, France in 1952 (“Timeline”). Valium became the world’s most approved tranquilizer in the 1960s, and Prozac, introduced in 1987, became the most prescribed antidepressant (Porter
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Show MoreMadness: A History, a film by the Films Media Group, is the final installment of a five part series, Kill or Cure: A History of Medical Treatment. It presents a history of the medical science community and it’s relationship with those who suffer from mental illness. The program uses original manuscripts, photos, testimonials, and video footage from medical archives, detailing the historical progression of doctors and scientists’ understanding and treatment of mental illness. The film compares and contrasts the techniques utilized today, with the methods of the past. The film offers an often grim and disturbing recounting of the road we’ve taken from madness to illness.
"The History of Mental Illness: From "Skull Drills" to "Happy Pills"" RSS. Web. 09 Apr. 2014. .
In present day America the way mental health is handled is very different from the treatment of mental health in the 1990’s. Today the mentally ill have effective medication and therapy. Back in the 1990’s treating mental health was very new. Unlike today before the 1900’s most of the mentally ill were in prisons. Around the 1950 the United States Government invested in making a safe haven for mentally ill patients where they could be protected and could be medically help. Sadly this took a turn for the worse. Mental hospitals soon became the quite opposite of what it was once hoped to be. The rise and fall of mental asylums changed mental health in America forever.
Tasca, Cecilia. "Women And Hysteria In The History Of Mental Health."National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 19 Oct. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
The National Institute of Mental Health defines mental illness as a disruption in neural circuits. Mental illness is a social phenomenon which has been around since the prehistoric times. It is unequally distributed across social, ethnic and gender groups in the UK. The explanations for these differences rest upon biological, economic, cultural and institutional factors. Despite these, many medical advancements have made to treat mental illnesses. Looking at the history of mental illness, it was a widespread belief that mental illness is caused by spiritual or religious reasons, and rituals were used as the means to treat the individuals similar to today. So what is mental illness? The term itself covers broad of emotional and psychological
It was during the Greek and Roman era where we first saw the conception of madness move away from gods and sprits to the adoption of a more rational approach (Conrad and Schneider, 1992). Views on abnormal behaviour were significantly advanced by Hippocrates (460-377 BC). Hippocrates viewed abnormal behaviour as having internal causes thus having biological natures or etiologies. Hippocrates prescriptions for treating the ill included, rest, proper diet, sobriety and exercise – methods still suggested today (Getzfeld, 2006). Hippocrates promoted a pre-existing idea that madness related to varying quantities of bodily fluids present in the body. These fluids were called humours and there were thought to be four different types with an imbalance of each triggering a particular type of madness (Conrad and Schneider, 1992). An excess of ‘Black Bile’ was considered to cause melancholia (depression), and an excess of ‘Yellow Bile’ brought on symptoms of anxiety and impulsiveness. The other two humours, ‘Blood’ and ‘Phlegm’, were considered to lead to mania and emotional indifference. Hippocrates ideas are similar to those in modern times that describe disturbances of the nervous system in terms of chemical imbalances or a low level of neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters have been found to play a significant role in our mental health. People suffering with depression have been found to have too little serotonin and high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine have been associated with symptoms of
Did you know that one in five Americans suffer from a mental illness (Newsweek)? The only treatment widely accessible is therapy and medication. Which type of treatment is more effective? Mental illness treatment in the 1800’s was extremely ineffective. If someone was to have had a mental illness those people were placed in institutions that were quite similar to jails. People who resided here had no opportunities to leave, no matter had badly they wanted to. Patients were kept in filthy conditions, chained to their beds, and even abused. Recent treatment for mental illness over the past 20 years has greatly advanced. Studies have shown that cognitive therapy is as effective as antidepressant medications at treating depression (Bekiempis).
Mental health is a relevant issue in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Not only is Kurtz’ mental health questionable throughout the novel, but Marlow also has to be examined by a physician, to check both his physical and mental status, before he starts on the journey to Africa. The mental health community in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was not nearly as developed as it is today, but many developments during this time period had a profound impact on the way we analyze the human psyche and mental health today.
Tasca, Cecilia , Mariangela Rapetti, Mauro Giovanni Carta, and Bianca Fadda. "Women and Hysteria In The History of Mental Health." U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. N.p., 1 Oct. 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2014. .
In prehistory, the idea of a mental illness was challenging to comprehend. The people of these ancient times thought it was magical spirits o...
Throughout history, explanations for mental illness have been described as supernatural, psychological, and biological. Prior to the early Greek physicians, the supernatural model of mental illness prevailed. Early humans did not have science to explain natural events so magic, mysticism, and superstition were used as a substitution. They believed in animism, the idea that all of nature is alive, and anthropomorphism, the tendency to project human features onto nature. Reification was also a popular belief that assumed if you can think of something, it exists. Sympathetic magic was the idea that one can heal and individual by influencing an object that is similar or closely associated to them (Frazer, 1890/1963). Primitive healers would often imitate the patient's ailments and then model the recovery. Reification also lead to the bel...
Many felt that the mentally ill brought it upon themselves, through moral or religious transgressions. They felt that gods or other spirits were punishing these “criminals” with illness. Others were thought to be under the spell of evil spirits, the devil, or the vi...
mental illness from ancient times to the new millennium. N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Today, it is less of a social stigma to announce and therefore to seek treatment for a mental disorder. The advances in the past century that stemmed from in-depth study of mental disorders have included the identification and naming of more specific mental diseases. Long gone are the days where the insane were all classified as either psychotic, schizophrenic, or in some sort of post-traumatic condition and therefore confined to solitary confinement, deemed as a lost-cause case to be removed from society. I believe that our culture has created a more accepting environment than the bias of the Fifties and Sixties towards individuals with mental illnesses since some of the mystery, and thus some of the fear, has been removed.
Although it is not apparent whether or not Ancient Egyptian physicians had formal training or not, their methods for diagnosing and handling illnesses were very efficient at times. As a matter of fact, we still use some of their remedies today when we make medicines. Examples of the diagnosis and remedies for diseases in Ancient Egypt can be found in the Ebers Papyrus. This is one of the oldest known documentations of ancient medical practices, dating as far back as fifteen hundred BC. Steven Gilbert, the author of A Small Dose of Toxicology: The Health Effects of Common Chemicals, defines the text as “approximately one hundred and ten pages on anatomy and physiology, toxicology, spells, and treatment recorded on papyrus. The papyrus also has many prescriptions showing the treatment of many disorders by animal, plant, and mineral toxins that still occur today.” Modern-day examples of medical ailments mentioned in the Ebers Papyrus include Asthma, Cancer, and Belly Aches. Oddly enough, the heart, rather than the brain, was regarded as the headquarters of human knowledge in the body because this was where the abundance of emotion was said to be drawn forth from. The heart was also thought to be a means of communication between the people and the gods because people were given insight and instruction pertaining to the gods will through this organ of the body. The Egyptians did not understand how important the heart was in terms of blood circulation, as we understand it today. Their belief was that the heart was connected to all the other parts of the body, via canals, which were used to transport bodily fluids and waste to their appropriate locations. The brain’s only purpose was to transport mucus to the nose, and therefore it wa...