Prior to the 1970s, those who suffered from mental disorders were sent to mental institutions in order to prevent them from bringing shame onto their families and the community. Since there was little scientific progress on mental health, people with a spectrum of ‘illnesses’ were admitted. These ‘illnesses’ ranged from true mental instability, including Schizophrenia and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder to alcoholics and drug abusers. Due to the increase in social stigma towards these ‘problems’, those believed to be mentally ill were secretly admitted and matters only discussed privately within a family. It is because of the private nature of people dealing with mental patients in addition to people’s fear of the ‘abnormal’ patients that a divide between mental institutions and society existed.…
The medieval times brought us men in shining armor and women captured by dragons for those knights to rescue. It also brought upon the dark ages which unfortunately risen the popularity of the lunatic (insane) asylums. In those days, people who were determined to be mentally ill were given a place to stay where they were treated for their illness. In todays’ society we have gone away from institutionalizing individuals because of mental illness and looked toward alternative ways of treatment most notably by prescribing psychiatric medication. This tactic was implemented to put the mentally ill back out onto the street and minimize the overcrowding that was happening in the institutions. Today most of the “asylums” have been shut down and for some reason most of the mentally ill are being housed in our state and federal prisons.…
Mental illness is currently a crucial component in our society, that enables us to understand the behavior of an individual. Where one's actions can be associated with the mental stability that he or she possesses. In conjunction, the Elizabethan era didn't acknowledge mental illness and its effects commonly incorporating Witchcraft and other Supernatural occurances to explain what is currently recognized as mental illness. Bipolar disorder or manic depression is a mood disorder that causes mood swings that enter a high phase and a low phase. The high phase is known as “manic” where the individual speaks at a very fast pace, with energetic movements.…
Entering the taboo world of mental illness, stigmatized as the crazy and psychotic by decades of…
Ever since the first time someone got sick, people have needed treatment. The same applies to those with mental illnesses, although for the first 19 centuries or so, people did not necessarily see it that way. The concept of a ‘mad’ or ‘insane’ person has, for the most part, always been established, but not until relatively recently did people realize what mental illness actually was. In American Colonial times, people who were afflicted were believed to be possessed by a demon, or some result of magic or the devil’s tricks. Therefore, these people did not receive any treatment other than an exorcism or other religiously affiliated methods. That is, if they were even treated. In this rural culture of the…
The societal view point in the beginning was people who were mentally ill were treated as if they were physically ill. In hospitals and they lived in atrocious conditions and were treated with brutality and cruelty; customary treatment methods was bleeding, restraint, and cold showers. Then occupational therapy, amusements, and exercise were introduced. Over the years the bad treatment in hospitals was closed…
As a young woman who is still experimenting with adulthood myself, having to read about the oppression and subordination of females in the 19th century can become very depressive and heartbreaking. It often goes unnoticed that social neglect leads to mental illnesses and includes more than loneliness and depressive behavior but it rather voids the individual from the identity and the aspiration that they have for themselves and that they are passionate about. The Yellow Wallpaper is a short story published in 1982 that addresses the marital, mental and social struggles that its narrator is facing. Jane, the narrator, is a newly wed young lady who just gave birth to her…
The 19th century was a time in history when many new things were happening in the United States and medical marvels happened often. The south was a place specifically prominent where social standings were how people were judged and how one was were treated by people. While mental illnesses have been around forever, the treatment of them, medically and socially, has changed drastically over time. In a “Rose For Emily” William Faulkner tells how the community that Emily Grierson lives in did not speak of or act upon her mental illness because of her social standings and because they felt that mental illness was not considered a medical problem in those times.…
While it is important to understand the differences in today’s institution compared to their predecessors; it is also critical to take heed of lessons learned. Throughout history mankind has been challenged by how to treat members of society who are different whether these differences are based on physical or mental attributes. As for mental illness, we have entered into an age of new beginnings where the negative aspects of these places are being forgotten and images of safety and happiness for these patients are being…
Today however people now accept the mentally ill better in society, there are laws that protect them, and now they are treated properly according to their illness. Back then there were many incorrect treatments and facilities to treat the mentally ill, but as time has passed the types of treatments have greatly improved. There were a variation of treatments for the sick in the 1930s, psychiatrist would use different versions of shock therapy, Insulin, Metrazol, and electroconvulsive therapy. All of these therapies usually included seizures because psychiatrist claimed that they could shock the illnesses out of them (Freeman).…
Mental illness presumably has been present in all societies and cultures dating back to at least 5000 BCE. Up until the Middle Ages people with mental illness or those considered to have gone mad were accused as being possessed by evil spirits or demons. The intervention strategy was to drill holes in the individuals head to allow the demons to escape. Mental illness and demonic possessions continued to be thought as connected well into the eighteenth century. The possessions were resolved by casting out the demons or going through witch trials resulted in either death or…
Mental health illness are more prevalent than people think, or want to believe. An estimate of 61.5 million Americans experience mental illnesses in a year. Contrary to popular belief, anyone can fall victim to a mental health illness. Approximately Four million adolescents suffer from mental illnesses, in the United States (www.nami.org). The growing rate of mental health issues has concluded in the improvement and expansion of mental health treatment, more research is being done on the different kinds of illnesses, and how to treat them, or cope with them.…
factsheets: You are welcome to print and photocopy this page of Mind's website. Organisations are free to distribute copies to service users and colleagues, but must ensure they always use the latest version, as available on the website, at the time of distribution.…
During the 1940s not much was understood about mental illnesses. People often thought that those people with mental illnesses were crazy or that there was a supernatural reason why they acted that way. They didn’t really understand that these people are sick and that these people can be treated. There are people know who you will never even notice that they have a mental illness because they are normal civilians like anyone else, but in the 1940s others didn’t understand that they saw insanity. During World War II Hitler decided that people with mental disabilities were not the “perfect” race so he decided to eliminate them, people with mental illnesses…
The understanding of mental illness today since the early 1900s has changed significantly. In the 1900s, people still had no real understanding of what caused mental illnesses, let alone how to treat the disease. The disease was feared and was seen as incurable. Mentally ill patients would be sent to asylums, and as a form of treatment they were tortured. Until in the later 1900s, it was discovered that certain factors and drug therapy could be a treatment to cure the mentally ill. Today there are various forms of treatment and treatment settings for the different mental illnesses that help to benefit the patients’ condition.…