The historical context of mental health

The Ancient Era

Early beliefs associated mental health problems with supernatural powers and evil spirits. The ‘cure’ often involved rituals, charms, and spells.
In Ancient Egypt, mental health was considered a result of physical and spiritual illnesses. Disorders were treated with ointments, enemas, and even exorcisms.
Hippocrates, a famous physician from Ancient Greece, ignored the supernatural explanations and suggested that mental illnesses were biologically caused and therefore could only be naturally treated.

Middle Ages

Mental health disorders were still seen as religious or supernatural problems, and those suffering from them were often labelled as witches or possessed. Exorcisms and witch hunts were common.
Some monasteries offered care to the mentally ill, rather like hospitals, but treatments tended to be based on religion, such as the saying of prayers.

Renaissance & Enlightenment

The Renaissance period saw a shift in attitudes towards mental health, with more emphasis placed on care and understanding rather than fear.
During the Enlightenment, there was a significant interest in human behaviour, giving rise to the medical model. This is where mental health began to be seen as a medical issue that could be diagnosed and treated.
Philippe Pinel is known as a pioneer in mental health for his humane approach to care. This involved moral treatment, which focused on empathy, respect and kindness.

19th Century

The creation of asylums marked a significant shift in how people with mental health issues were treated, as the aim was to separate them from society.
Asylums also paved the way for the treatment of mental disorders as it became possible to study patients over a long period.
Despite the apparent good intentions for creating asylums, many of them became more like prisons than hospitals, with reports of overcrowding, abuse, and neglect.

20th Century to Present

The discovery of various psychotropic medications in the 1950s helped to revolutionise mental health care. This resulted in deinstitutionalization, the process of replacing long-stay psychiatric hospitals with less isolated community mental health services.
There has been a shift toward understanding mental health issues as legitimate and significant, and today, a variety of psychotherapy techniques, medications, and community treatment approaches are available.
Despite advancements, stigma and discrimination towards mental health disorders persist to this day and are barriers to mental health care.
Globalization and cultural context have been recognised as having increasing importance in understanding and addressing mental health.

Remember, understanding the historical context of mental health can help us understand why certain treatments and attitudes have developed and how they impact the way mental health is understood today.