Any of those that were abandoned to live on the streets and were rumored “dangerous and unmanageable” were either put in jail or dungeons, out of the public eye (Foerschner, 1).Īccording to Dr. In countries, or cultures, that had strong ties to family honor, such as China and Japan and even some parts of the United States, the ill were hidden by their families so that the community or society that they were a part of wouldn’t believe the illness was “a result of immoral behavior by the individual and/or their relatives”.Īs a result of this social stigma, many of the mentally ill were forced to either “live a life of confinement” or were abandoned and forced to live on the streets. It was believed that “a mentally ill member implies a hereditary, disabling condition in the bloodline” threatening the family’s “identity as an honorable unit”. Historically, those with mental illnesses had a “social stigma” attached to them. These imbalances were in the “four essential fluids” blood, phlegm, bile, and black bile which produce “unique personalities of individuals.” In order to restore the body’s balance, the Greeks used techniques such as phlebotomies, bloodletting, purging, and imposing diets on the afflicted (Foerschner).One treatment that Hippocrates advocated was changing the occupation and/or environment of the patient.Īlthough these treatments had gained popularity amongst most cultures, there were still vast majorities of people who believed in the supernatural causes of mental illness and used treatments such as amulets, talismans, and sedatives to “ease the torment” of the afflicted (Foerschner). He studied the pathology of the brain and suggested that mental illness stemmed from imbalances in the body. The philosopher and physician, Hippocrates, discovered that illnesses come from “natural occurrences in the body” (Foerschner).Īs Hippocrates was studying mental illness, he stepped away from the superstitious beliefs and towards the medical aspect of it. (Foerschner)ĭuring the 5 th and 3 rd centuries B.C.E., the Greeks changed the way that psychological disorders were viewed. Similarly, the Egyptians recommended that those stricken with mental illness should participate in “recreational activities” in order to relieve symptoms which displayed that, as a civilization, the Egyptians were very advanced in their treatment of mental handicaps. The most commonly believed cause, demonic possession, was treated by chipping a hole, or “trephine”, into the skull of the patient by which “the evil spirits would be released,” therefore healing the patient.Īlthough ancient Persians also believed that the illnesses were caused by demons, they practiced precautionary measures such as personal hygiene and “purity of the mind and body” in order to “prevent and protect one from diseases”. In the ancient world cultures, a well-known belief was that mental illness was “the result of supernatural phenomena” this included phenomena from “demonic possession” to “sorcery” and “the evil eye”. The history of treating mental illnesses dates as far back as 5000 B.C.E.
These changes have brought psychiatrics out of a negative light and have given psychiatric studies a brighter, more positive outlook.
Throughout history, there have been radical changes in how the mentally ill are treated and cared for most of these occurred because of changing societal views and knowledge of mental illness.
Many of the drastic procedures that have been put in place to relieve a person with mental illness such as schizophrenia are only successful in creating ‘vegetables’ out of patients, not curing their illness but making them ghosts of their previous selves.