Mental Illness Sociology

Mental illness is a condition characterized by emotions, thoughts, or behavior that are substantially abnormal for a given time and place in history (p. 514). Historically, it has been broadly been defined by self-harm, unrealistic thoughts and perceptions (delusions, hallucinations, magical thinking, etc.), inappropriate emotions, and rapid shifts in moods or beliefs. All these criteria compare the

As you will see in this paper, mental illness has been a serious situation for many years. Over the years, there have been different thoughts relating to the causes of mental illness including what the actual situation is and observance of how to treat the mentally ill. This paper will inform you of three different historical periods: Colonial America, Depression & the New Deal and War & Prosperity in which an important aspect of mental health happened in each. I will include some religious and economic information for each period due to the relationship that religion and economy had to the way mental illness was viewed and treated in those periods.

Through the Middle Ages and until the establishment of asylums, treatments for mental illness were offered by “humanistic physicians, medical astrologers, apothecaries, and folk or traditional healers” (MacDonald 175). Aside from secular exorcisms, prayers, charms, amulets, and other mystical treatments were available. Sedatives during the 17th century consisted of opium grains to “ease the torment” of mental illness (MacDonald 190).

For many centuries there has been multiple arguments about what causes mental illness. Hebrews believed that mental illness was a punishment from god for those who sinned. The way they cured one another was spiritually and through health. They believed that if you had a healthy diet that it would prevent you from any diseases. The physicians were also priests who had “special ways” to heal with higher powers. The biggest theory was that whoever had a mental illness was caused from supernatural forces. There had been many different treatments to help cure ones suffering. Dating back to 5000 BCE was the first treatment preformed on record, showing that one would chip a hole into the human skull to release evil spirits. Later on, the Ancient Egyptians

For many centuries, religious, spiritual and cultural beliefs preponderated societal actions and beliefs for those with mental illnesses. In ancient Greece, those with severe mental illnesses were abused because of the perpetuating belief that angry gods influenced them. Those suffering from mild mental illness faced disdain and humiliation. Prince (2003) even asserts “the cultural values of ancient Greece were precursors to the modern stigma that is associated with mental illness” (Kirby & Keon, 2004). In the middle ages, it was the belief that mental illness was routed to supernatural causes. It was believed that these individuals should be burned at the stake, hanged or decapitated to release their soul from being possessed by demons. The beliefs changed in the 17th and early 18th centuries to one that the physical state was impaired by those with mental illnesses because they had excessive passion they inflicted on themselves. These individuals were often physically restrained

Mental illness has been around since the 1700s. The history of mental illness and its treatment of patients diagnosed with mental illnesses consisted of cruel and harsh punishments. Through research and advocates mentally illness is now high on the radar of mental health professionals, the government and family members; in addition, mental illness is no longer considered to be a “wicked” diagnosis and it is recognized as a treatable condition. POINT OF DEPARTURE Evil spirits and witchcraft were thought to be behind mental illness from the Middle Ages through the seventeenth century.

Throughout the ages, treatment of the mentally ill has evolved with distinct periods of progression, stagnation and regression. At various points in history, treatment of the mentally ill included cruel and inhumane acts, while at other times, consisted of compassionate and benevolent care. It was thought that mental illness was derived from organic causes and treated the same way as common health issues such as colds or constipation. The clergy of many religions took on the burden taking care of those with mental illnesses. Monastic monks found themselves attending to the care of those with mental illness. The monks prayed for them, touched them with relics and prepared potions for them to

The treatment and conception of mental illness has varied alongside the philosophies, ideas, practices, doctrines, and knowledge of the time. During the Renaissance, when the humoral theory was the current doctrine of medicine, mental illness followed suit and its cause and treatment was thought to lie in the necessity of balance of the four humors. The treatments, such as vomiting and bloodletting, attempted to restore the balance between the humors via blood, bile, phlegm, etc. The ideas and practices of the time, such as religion and the supernatural, also had an impact on the conception of mental illness, especially during the Renaissance. It was thought that evil spirits and demonic forces caused mental illness, but with the rediscovery

Naturally occurring brain chemicals called neurotransmitters play a role in some mental illnesses. Even hormonal imbalances affect mental health. Even though these things can be a factor so can just everyday life. A stressful job or home life can make ones mental illness worse. Some people are more susceptible when traumatic life events such as being the victim of a crime can play a factor. An additional part that plays in with worsening a mental illness is one who goes without treatment. The consequences of going untreated with a mental illness for an individual can lead to unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, and even suicide. These types of situations can be depressing in themselves so this can lead to a decline in

The ancient Greeks viewed mental illness as having derived from the gods (Griffith 625; Ludwig 4; Neihart; Weisberg 361). According to them, different forms of madness provoked various types

Hippocrates was the first to recognize that mental illness was due to ‘disturbed physiology’ as opposed to ‘displeasure of the gods or evidence of demonic possession’. It was not until about one thousand years later that the first place designated for the mentally ill came to be in 15th century Spain. Before the 15th century, it was largely up to individual’s families to care for them. By the 17th century, society was ‘often housing them with handicapped people, vagrants, and delinquents. Those considered insane are increasingly treated inhumanely, often chained to walls and kept in dungeons’. There are great strides for the medical treatments for the mentally

Mental illness and the stigma associated with it illustrate the concept of the sociological imagination. Living with a mental illness is a private trouble, affecting the individual personally, physically, psychologically, socially, and even economically. The trouble is made even more private in the respect that those with anxiety/depression/etcetera often suffer in silence since their affliction is not necessarily visible to others. The stigma associated with mental illness exacerbates the individual, while simultaneously lending itself to the public issues regarding mental illness.

For many millennia psychological disorders, also called mental disorders have been misunderstood. Used to, people suffering from such disorders were thought to be demonically possessed or they were accused of being a witch. Many of these unfortunate people were burned, tortured, or locked up away from society, which was torturous in itself due to the deprivation of life sustaining necessities such as food and air that patients were forced to endure (Morris and Maisto, 2002).

The history of mental illness represents the ways in which trends in psychiatry and cultural understanding of mental illness influence thoughts and attitudes towards mental health. The earliest records of mental illness show that many cultures have viewed it as a form of religious punishment or demonic possession. In ancient Egyptian, Indian, Greek, and Roman writings, mental illness was categorized as a religious or personal

The social problem I have chosen to write about is mental illness. This problem is important to talk about “because of the number of people it affects, the difficulty of defining and identifying mental disorders, and the ways in which mental illness is treated” (Kendall, 2013, p. 227). “About 57.7 million people, or one in four adults, in the United States suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder” (Kendall, 2013, p. 229). “Many of these illnesses begin in childhood or adolescence, with the most common problems being anxiety disorder, mood disorders, impulse-control disorders, and substance abuse disorders” (Kendall, 2013, p. 229). I chose this topic because I wanted to learn more about how mental illness is a social problem and I have been interested in learning more about mental illnesses and how to help people with mental disorders.