Mental Illnesses And Its Effects On Mental Illness

The ancient Greeks were the first to identify mental illness as a medical condition, rather than a sign of malevolent deities. While their understanding of the nature of the mental illness was not always correct (e.g., they believed that hysteria affected only women, due to a wandering uterus), and their treatments rather unusual (e.g., bathing for depression, blood-letting for psychosis), they did recognize the treatment value of encouraging and consoling

In early American history, individuals with mental illnesses have been neglected and suffered inhuman treatments. Some were beaten, lobotomized, sterilized, restrained, in addition to other kinds of abuse. Mental illness was thought to be the cause of supernatural dreadful curse from the Gods or a demonic possession. Trepanning (the opening of the skull) is the earliest known treatment for individuals with mental illness. This practice was believed to release evil spirits (Kemp, 2007). Laws were passed giving power to take custody over the mentally ill including selling their possessions and properties and be imprisoned (Kofman, 2012). The first psychiatric hospital in the U.S. was the Pennsylvania Hospital where mentally ill patients were left in cold basements because they were considered not affected by cold or hot environments and restraint with iron shackles. They were put on display like zoo animals to the public for sell by the doctors (Kofmen, 2012). These individuals were punished and isolated and kept far out of the eyes of society, hidden as if they did not exist. They were either maintained by living with their families and considered a source of embarrassment or institutionalized

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.

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

It not easy to determine how many people suffer from mental illness. This is due to the changing definitions of mental illness and problems classifying, diagnosing, and reporting mental disorders. There are social stigmas attached to mental illness, such as being labeled "crazy," being treated as a danger to others, and being denied jobs or health insurance coverage. These negative connotations keep many sufferers from seeking help, and many of those in treatment do not reveal it on surveys. Some patients do not realize that their symptoms are caused by mental disorders. Even though more is being learned about how the brain works a lot of information has still yet to be discovered, thus mental health professionals must continually reevaluate how mental illnesses are defined and diagnosed. The Surgeon General 's report estimated that roughly 20% of the United States population was affected by mental disorders and that 15% use some type of mental health service every year. Community surveys estimate about 30% of the adult population in the United States suffer from mental disorders.

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).

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

Today mental illness is treated scientifically and as human disease and not as in ancient times that was awarded to supernatural powers. Primitive Cultures 10,000 BC In

In the Victorian era (during the 1800s), it was a common belief that people with psychological illnesses were adulterated by the devil. Patients with these conditions were treated imperfectly and lived in unsanitary conditions. For example, most patients lived in cages, and were given minimal amounts of food, much like animals in captivity. As science progressed, a new perspective formed that challenged the original beliefs people had about mental illnesses. Not only did society make progress in the medicine involved in psychological illnesses, but they also made progress in the perception of these patients.

Schizophrenia was named in 1911 by Swiss Psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler, but it is thought the disorder has been around for a much longer time. Although not called schizophrenia this disorder has been traced back to papyrus from 1550 B. C. Egypt and Stone Age skulls found with drill-like holes. The common theme of most behaviors of early times was madness. Neel Burton found madness was often thought of as punishment from God/the gods, and Hippocrates believe it a result of an imbalance in the four bodily humors and could be cured by special diets, purgatives and blood lettings (2012). There were times in history when religion became a cure for people plagued with these illnesses and most often asylums and monasteries become the treatment centers.

Today, mental illness has been the scapegoat for most crimes today. From mass shootings to bombings, most people have blamed mental illness for the cause of these crimes. Moreover, even some defense attorneys have even had cases in which they claimed their client had a mental illness in order to receive a lesser sentence. However, in order to truly understand mental illness, we must first look at the history of people studying the brain. The history of the study of the brain, psychology, dates back to ancient Greece. By using the scientific reasoning, Hippocrates speculated that human temperament can vary by a person's physical qualities, such as yellow bile or too much blood (Smith). Many philosophers during this time period might have only

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

Early civilizations, including, the Greeks, Chinese, Hebrews, and Egyptians, believed that mental illness occurred because a demon took possession of the victim’s body. To avoid further possession, leaders or healers performed exorcisms. The exorcisms’ purpose was to make the host body so unbearable, accomplished by either flogging, starvation, prayers, and vomiting induced drugs, that the demon would leave (Lundy 13).

Everyone is different in society. There are special individuals, which are affected by mental health illnesses. Mental health issues can affect society both negatively and positively. There are cultures that treat these individuals like the reincarnations of gods. On the other side, there are cultures that isolate these individuals and look for cures to these pathologies. Mental health illnesses are important because they have to be studied to understand their cause, whether it may be biological or environmental. These issues are important because like every type of illness they have to be delicately studied, focusing on treatments to either cure them or reduce the symptoms of the pathology. These people were either conflicted with the ideals of society or they were praised by it. Cultures, which didn’t accept them, closed them up into asylums. Patients inside these facilities were brutally used as guinea pigs for their experiments. The way these people were treated shows how cruel and ignorant people were to the unknown. By learning from histories mistakes we can move forward in improving our society and achieve greatness.

Believing myths such as the use of treatments or herbal remedies that have not been shown to improve health conditions and believing that human biology is well understood and unchanging has impacted the practice of social work as it limits our understanding of human biology especially in regards to mental health. This limitation therefore also limits the capability of social workers to effectively help their clients. For example when social workers recommend their client take herbal remedies for depression such as St. John 's Wort, they believe that they are helping their condition, however, this remedy is dangerous as it can interfere with drugs and can cause heart problems. Not knowing this causes social workers to give advice that could possibly hinder their client instead of instructing their clients to check with their physicians or psychiatrist. A lot of herbal remedies or treatments are commonly known to be safe, but have bad side effects for those with mental health disorders. Giving advice to use these remedies has created problems within the field of mental health as it hinders the client’s treatment and continues the cycle of ignorance.