HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL

TREATMENT

Jennifer Carstens

Ancient treatments Most of treatments began with the belief

that the affected person had an evil sprit in them, which was making them act abnormally.

The cure was to rid the spirits from the person’s body by means of trephination.

Trephination Cutting into a person’s skull, typically

done to people to experience extremely abnormal behavior (hearing voices, hallucinations, etc)

Greek & Roman Treatments500 BC- 500 AD

Greeks and Romans identified many psychological disorders such as melancholia, mania, dementia, hysteria, delusion, and hallucinations.

Focus was placed on the “Four Fluids”, Blood, yellow bile, black bile, and Phlegm.

Middle Ages500 AD- 1350 AD

The middle ages were classified as a time in extreme expansion of spiritualism and urbanization, but a contraction of science and medicine.

Mental illnesses were seen as a struggle between “good” and “bad”

The Dark Ages received its name from ongoing plagues and war, which led to mass madness.

Tarantism, Lycanthropy, and Exorcism were common during this time.

Tarantism A condition where groups of people would

start singing, convulsing, dancing, and rip off their clothing.

Lycanthropy A condition where people believe that

they are an animal and begin acting as such (howling, barking, pawing, etc)

Some people would even claim that they could feel course hair growing from all over their body.

Exorcism An act where a member of the clergy

tries to get a demon out of someone who is believed to be possessed.

This is typically done by beating, starvation, repetitive bible readings, and prayer.

Done in all major religions.

The Renaissance and Asylum1400 AD - 1700 AD

Characterized as a time of extreme cultural and scientific growth, and a decline of religious influence.

Rise of Asylums and specializations in mental health care.

Johann Weyer- first physician to specialize in illnesses of the mind.

First religious mental health facility- Gheel Belgium

First medical mental Asylum- Bethlehem Hospital, Spain.

Johann Weyer Believed that the mind was susceptible to

illness, just like the body. First physician to specialize in the

treatment of the mentally ill. His most influential work is De Praestigiis

Daemonum et Incantationibus ac Venificiis (On the Illusions of theDemons and on Spells and Poisons) published in 1563 One of the only to speak outagainst persecution.

Gheel 1661 One of the foremost important places for

mental health (loving, humane approach).

Classified as a community asylum, that was supported by the church and community.

Fell due to lack of interest.

Bethlehem Hospital Early 15th century, Spain.

In this asylum, patients were bound in chains.

During certain phases of the moon, patients would be lined up and whipped in order to prevent violence.

The hospital became a tourist attraction, where people would pay to look at the howling and gibbering imamates

Lunatics' Towers, Vienna La Bicetra in Paris

Lunatics' Towers in Vienna

La Bicetra in Paris Continues to be a hospital

Types of Treatment Used in Asylums

Shock treatments- throwing someone in ice cold water in order to “shock” their body.

Crib-Patients in asylums

were forced to stay in enclosed “cribs”.

Rotating Chair-Placing someone in a

chair, where they were spun around multiple times till they became sick.

1800’s- A Time for Reform Benjamin Rush, Dorothea Dix, and Nellie

Bly were major reformers for Mental health.

Few hospitals were being built, the already built mental institutions were overcrowded.

America became more interested in mental health care, and health care reform.

Mental illness began to be seen as genetic diseases

Benjamin Rush “Father of American Psychiatry” Pioneered several medical tools, such as

a centrifuge. Pioneered Occupational Therapy as well

as a moral theory when dealing with the ill.

Discovered Savant Syndrome

Dorothea Dix Lobbied on behalf of the mentally insane Created Legislation for the first

established state mental asylums

Nellie Bly Actual name: Elizabeth Jane Cochran Checked herself into a boardinghouse,

where she pretended to have amnesia and have hallucinations, then was taken to a courtroom.

Upon examination, doctors said she was a lost cause “Undoubtedly insane”, and sent her to Bellevue Hospital Center where she experienced living conditions first hand.

She was released after 10 days and wrote, 10 Days in a Mad-house, which launched a federal investigation

1900’s The 1900’s were a time for revolutions in

Hospitalization, Moral Management, as well as Society Cooperation & Interaction.

Early treatments included: lobotomies and primitive forms of electroshock therapy