Mental Health Illness Treatment Facilities in the 1800s
Abstract
In the 18th century, mentally ill or odd people were kept in asylums. Asylums were places built specifically for locking out individuals considered to have mental disorders. They would be kept in dungeons, chained to their metal beds, beaten and rarely fed. Religious organizations condemned them since they were believed to be making contact with the evil spirits. The main goal was locking them away from society instead of treating their illnesses. The affected people were thought to be possessed with evil spirits and were outcast to the community.
Introduction
Many individuals are affected by mental health all over the United States of America. Records dating as far back as the 1670s points out that mental health facilities ‘ mental institutions‘ were in existence. Approximately one in five American adults are affected by mental illness, each passing year. It brings the sum to about 43.8 million individuals. However, mental health has improved positively over the years, but the stigma is still affecting most folks. As history suggests, the mentally ill were treated poorly since people associated with mental illness with demonic possessions, witchcraft, or gods. If someone was possessed, there were a variety of forms of treating them(Lahariya et al. 2010)
. Exorcism was widely used in the 1800s, mostly done by priests prayers done in the presence of the affected. According to CNN reports daily, most Americans view mental health and physical health as equal. Mental health and overall well-being connected to our ability to function well at work and how we picture the world around us.
History of mental health treatment
There were different forms of psychological therapy. For instance, trephination, this was one of the earliest forms of mental health treatment. It is dated back around 7,000 years ago and was done to treat headaches, psychiatric disorders, and problems with demonic possessions. (Rosenberg, 2011). Trephination involved the removal of a small part of the skull to conduct the intended treatment. There is no much evidence suggesting this kind of mental therapy. Bloodletting and purging is another kind of mental illness. It was widely known all over the western world in the 1600s, with its history in ancient Greek medicine. Claudius Galen was a Greek physician and believed that mental health illness was due to imbalanced humor in a patient. On the other hand, an English Physician, Thomas Willis, used Galen’s theory to treat mentally ill patients and added his argument that mental health illness was due to an internal biochemical relationship disorder. The said humor imbalances were meant to be corrected by bleeding, purging, vomiting. However, these forms of treatment were not only used to treat mental illness, diabetes, asthma, cancer, but cholera was also some examples that physicians in this form of therapy.
Mental health illness has been prominent since the 1600s, and mental health treatment had not been developed, and it was related to madness. Patients who displayed symptoms of madness were locked away from the community, and, in most cases, we’re left to die in inhumane situations. It greatly affected the patient’s family as patients who were locked away felt they weren’t like them. Specialized institutions were built to restrain the criminally insane. There were those families who would afford to pay a doctor, and therefore, their patients would be imprisoned and treated at the ‘madhouse,’ but this did not guarantee their recovery. They would not have any way to fight for their release because no one was allowed to contact anyone or have visitors come around (Evans-Campbell et al. 2012). As of the 18th century, the science of psychiatry began to develop in terms of treating the mentally ill in the society, and this wiped out the belief of evil spirits causing mental disorders. Doctors studied how the brain and the nervous system are connected and what causes mental illness, leading to the development of medical treatment.
History of medicine.
Mental health illness treatment facilities required medicine. Ancient remedies began in 5000 BCE, and it showed evidence of trephination. This kind of treatment involved the process of boring a hole in the skull. Medical practitioners used necessary instruments in the process. Humans believed that the hole would be a passage of the evil spirits out of the patient’s head. Researchers believe that most of the skulls found, presented signs of healing. It shows trephination was one of the effective ways of treating mental illness. Priests would use religious forms of rituals to heal the sick. (Schwenk, 2010 )
Hysteria was the first mental disorder associated with women and was dated to 1900 BC. The leading cause of this disorder was believed to be a motion by the uterus. Traditional symptoms were described in a medical document (Eber Papyrus) back in 1600 BC. It showed that Hysteria was a tonic seizure that suffocated the patient to death. Medical procedures on how to treat the victim were documented. The uterus was supposed to be positioned to its natural position. For an individual, normality involves the consistency of their behavior. In the case of behavioral change, it means there is a disorder within their body and should be addressed. According to mental health treatment, psychotherapy stands out to be the best way of treating mental illness. It is the exploration of thoughts, feelings, and presented behaviors. If combined with medication, it becomes the best form of medicine.
History documentary on mental health illness
Talking about health problems helps reduce stigma. A study survey by the American Psychological Association(2006) shows that 44% of women and about 31% of men experience struggles with stress over holidays. It is essential to hold talks with each other to avoid mental health. Treatment of medical conditions is critical (Schwab, 2013 ). There is the police who attacked a documentary of an Alien Boy who had schizophrenia (a mental illness denoting a persistent, often chronic condition characterized by abnormal thinking). He died as a result, and his family sued the city involved. This occurrence shows how authorities can treat victims with mental health with little knowledge about their condition.
19th Century Mental Health
George III became mentally ill since 1788, which led to his death in 1820. It happened in the first decade of the 19th century. After his death, a physician, (Alexander Morison) began to teach on mental illness and didn’t bother about the causes and treatment of mental illness. There was an amendment act in 1834 that led to more establishment of asylums. Most folks could not fend for themselves and were consumed by depression causing mental illness. ( McGann, 2017 )
During this century, there were several trials to improve the living standards of those detained. Despite acts passed by parliament, no action was taken until 1886. The Idiots act was implemented to help build idiot’s asylums. The idiots’ asylum helped those with schizophrenia and other mental difficulties.
Conclusion
It is normal to have anxiety but can cause suffering to most people. There are common mental disorders among patients. Some end up being employed while mentally ill. They will struggle with their burden without receiving any treatment or support. Mental health has been a challenge for most patients for centuries. The future looks optimistic since there has been successful mental health treatment. These issues need to be addressed and the best form of treatment administered.
Reference
Lahariya, C Singhal, S Gupta, S – Indian journal of …, 2010 – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Rosenberg, L – The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 2011 – Springer