MENTAL HEALTH: TOPIC 1- Historical context of mental health Flashcards
(17 cards)
Mental health
Refers to emotional, psychological and social well-being.
Means we can handle stress, function adequately day-today and relate to others.
Mental illness
Refers to number of conditions restrict mental health e.g depression, schizophrenia.
Historical context of mental health- ancient times
Mental illness symptoms have always been recognised as ‘unusual’ or ‘abnormal’ behaviour.
In ancient time ‘madness’ was considered punishment of the gods.
Historical context of mental health- Middle ages
Middle ages- mental illness seen as result of supernatural forces, blame often fell on witches.
Hysteria and epilepsy were frequently confused with witchcraft or demonic possession, women condemned as witches more then men.
Women were seen more prone to diabolical possession because they were weaker in nature than men, uterus was though to be ‘unstable organ’ which could move from one place to another, so women were innately ‘unstable’ human beings.
Mental health hospitals
In UK- institutional care model- which many patients lived in hospitals & treated by professional staff- was considered most effective way to care for mentally ill.
Mental hospitals were often underfunded & understaffed, institutional care system was criticised due to poor living conditions & human right violations.
Deinstitutionalisation and Outpatient treatment
Between the 2 world wars talking treatment encouraged outpatient treatment & may have encouraged idea of shorter hospital stays.
- In 1960’s number of psychiatrists & psychotherapists ( ‘anti-psychiatry movement’ ) started to criticise medical approach to abnormality: Rosenhan = critic of medical model, study ‘on being sane in insane places’ shows unreliability of psychiatric classification.
-By 2000, community-based mental healthcare was developed to include range of treatment facilities- yet still underfunded, which forced criminal justice system to provide supervised environment (required by minority of mentally ill population).
Changing language of mental illness: ‘Lunatic’
Origin & significance= derives from latin word ‘lunaticus’- originally referred mainly to epilepsy & madness- diseases thought to be caused by the moon (lunar).
Changing language of mental illness: ‘Crazy’
Adjective originated in 1570’s to mean ‘diseased’, ‘sickly’.
In 1580’s evolved to mean ‘broken’, ‘impaired’, ‘full of cracks/flaws’.
In 1610’s- ‘deranged’, ‘demented’.
Changing language of mental illness: ‘Insanity’
Noun originates from latin: ‘insanitatem’ meaning ‘unhealthfulness’ relating to mind.
Changing language of mental illness: ‘Madness’
Noun formed within english by derivation.
Earliest use in Middle English period (1150-1500).
Used to be defined as ‘crippled’, ‘injured’, ‘foolish’.
Those who were ‘mad’ were irrational & lacked control.
Changing language of mental illness: ‘Bedlam’
Term comes from name of hospital in London- ‘Saint Mary of Bethlehem’- devoted to treating mentally ill people in 1400’s.
‘Bethlehem’ pronunciation morphed to ‘bedlam’ overtime & came applied to any situation where pandemonium prevails. (wild, noisy disorder/confusion)
Historical views: Ancient time period
BELIEFS:
- Some ancient physicians didn’t understand what part of body was responsible for strange behaviour, turned to prayer & forgiveness from the gods. Most physicians understood mental illness was caused by physical alignments like imbalance of the humors (bodily fluids believed to influence temperament & health)
WHO CARED FOR MENTALLY ILL:
-Cared for at home by family members, state shared no responsibility for their care. Humorism remained a recurrent somatogenic theory (affecting the body) until 19th century.
HOW WERE THEY TREATED:
-Traditional chinese medicine- herbs, acupuncture, ‘emotional therapy’.
Exorcisms used in greek, hebrew and egyptian cultures.
TREATMENT EXAMPLES:
-Shock therapy
-Exorcisms
-Prayer said over person’s body
-Imprisonment
-Torture
-Incantations (magic spells)
-Hydrotherapy
Historical views: Middle Ages
BELIEFS:
-Believed behaviours associated with mental illness were often thought to be caused by ‘demonic possession’.
Witchcraft mainly women- ‘unstable uterus’.
WHO CARED FOR MENTALLY ILL:
-Monks and nuns sheltered pilgrims & strangers as their christian duty.
Family primarily responsible.
HOW WERE THEY TREATED:
-Mental illness regarded as punishment from god- thought to be possessed by devil- burned at stake or thrown in penitentiaries (prison for serious crimes) & madhouses, were chained to walls or beds.
TREATMENT EXAMPLES:
-Medical intervention, bleeding & purging to balance bad humors.
-Religious intervention- cleansing baths, fasting, praying to saints.
Historical views: 16th-17th century
BELIEFS:
-Seen as natural & supernatural event- sickness or something caused by devils or astronomical events.
WHO CARED FOR MENTALLY ILL:
16th- Mary of Bethlehem hospital (london)
17th- Families cared at home.
HOW WERE THEY TREATED:
-Kept away from society, hidden from their communities/family.
-Chained them up & put in dungeons.
TREATMENT EXAMPLES:
-Religious, psychological, astrological and traditional healing remedies.
-Wealthy families used private institutions for relatives to be cared for discretely.
-Humane intervention to incarcereration (prison)
-Cold baths.
Historical views: 18th century
BELIEFS:
-Believed everyone&thing had a soul.
-Believed mental illness was due to animistic causes like evil spirits controlling individual behaviour.
WHO CARED FOR MENTALLY ILL:
-Madhouses
-Mental asylums
-People paid to keep patients there or people would be cared for at home.
HOW WERE THEY TREATED:
-Harshly treated, placed in poorly ran madhouses, jails
-kept in isolation
-kept away from society & hidden from family & community
TREATMENT EXAMPLES:
-Bloodletting- withdrawing blood to prevent/cure illness & disease.
-Isolation
Historical views: 19th century
BELIEFS:
-Somatogenic (cells of body) and Psychogenic (mind) explanations
-Hysteria (uncontrollable emotional excess) - caused physical symptoms like blindness, paralysis.
WHO CARED FOR MENTALLY ILL:
-Home by families
HOW WERE THEY TREATED:
-Restrained for days
-Chained to walls
-Tours of facilities given to entertain public
-Asylums- barbaric treatments (cruel).
TREATMENT EXAMPLES:
-Asylums
-Restraints
-Isolation
-Electric shocks
-Lobotomies- burned parts of brain off
-Sedative drugs
Historical views: 20th century
BELIEFS:
-Unique disease entities
-Psychodynamic theory (unconscious mind & conflicts)
-Behaviourism theory (Classical/Operant conditioning)
-Biological theories- changes in the brain.
WHO CARED FOR MENTALLY ILL:
-Private asylums
-Physicians
-Psychoanalysis
-Asylums shut down and called hospitals
-‘cell mates’ changed to ‘patients’
HOW WERE THEY TREATED:
-gradual shift towards humane care
-more emphasis on protecting human rights
-killed & steralised Nazi’s to prevent reproduction.
TREATMENT EXAMPLES:
-Electric shock
-Insulin, camphor, malaria injections
-Lobotomies
-Chemical shock therapy
-Insulin coma therapy
-Psychosurgery
-Talking therapy
