Mentally Ill Population Essay
Stigmatization within the mentally ill population has improved significantly over the centuries. However, there is still much to do to continue our efforts of improvement in this area. In order for society to understand stigmas, we must first understand how they were created. Stigmatizations began with the unjust and inhuman conditions in which society treated and looked upon the mentally ill. In 2017, Ray wrote, in the 6th century BCE, Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that human behavior and related disorders reflected the actions of the gods, such as the belief that mental illness was a punishment from God. Shortly thereafter, Pythagoras, known for his theorem concerning the sides of a triangle and his development of the term philosophy
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In 1330, England opened the first institution for the mentally ill population. The treatment of the mentally ill was inhuman, they were treated like inmates, often chained and not provided with proper food or clothing (Ray, 2017). People visited the institution as if they were visiting the zoo, it was as if the mistreatment of this population brought the public amusement; in 1814, 96,000 people visited the institution (Ray, 2017). Concern for the treatment of these patients came only after a campaign to protest the treatment at this facility was established (Ray, 2017). Moreover, in the 20th century, treatment of the mentally ill population began to improve as introduction of antipsychotic medication was introduced to patients with mental health disorders (Ray, 2017). The state hospitals which was the main source of treatment for the population had drastically decreased from 550,230 to 71,619 (Ray, 2017). The state was on the path to providing a more effective way for dealing with the population; however, these efforts did little to correct the damage already done by decades of wrongful and inhumane treatment. In addition, the mentally ill were discharged to the communities without appropriate aftercare treatment. Without appropriate treatment in the community, many of the mentally ill people were left homeless, unable to fend for themselves and eventually ended up
In 1330, England opened the first institution for the mentally ill population. The treatment of the mentally ill was inhuman, they were treated like inmates, often chained and not provided with proper food or clothing (Ray, 2017). People visited the institution as if they were visiting the zoo, it was as if the mistreatment of this population brought the public amusement; in 1814, 96,000 people visited the institution (Ray, 2017). Concern for the treatment of these patients came only after a campaign to protest the treatment at this facility was established (Ray, 2017). Moreover, in the 20th century, treatment of the mentally ill population began to improve as introduction of antipsychotic medication was introduced to patients with mental health disorders (Ray, 2017). The state hospitals which was the main source of treatment for the population had drastically decreased from 550,230 to 71,619 (Ray, 2017). The state was on the path to providing a more effective way for dealing with the population; however, these efforts did little to correct the damage already done by decades of wrongful and inhumane treatment. In addition, the mentally ill were discharged to the communities without appropriate aftercare treatment. Without appropriate treatment in the community, many of the mentally ill people were left homeless, unable to fend for themselves and eventually ended up