Early Treatments

In ancient times, mental disturbances were thought to be caused by evil spirits. Any behaviour that people find unusual would then prompt others to think that the odd-acting person has been possessed by an evil spirit. Because of this belief, the primary treatment that they practiced was to drive away the evil spirit/s through incantation, spells, or sacrifice. During the Stone Age, skulls of people with unusual behaviour were also drilled, believing that these would cast away the evil spirits. This practice is called trephination.

During ancient times, people who shared having unusual experiences were believed to be hallucinating. They also practiced a prehistoric form of brain surgery to cure the hallucination problem. It is quite obvious that the dominant beliefs during the ancient era were supernatural theories. Likewise, the dominant treatment for any abnormalities was exorcism, or casting out of the evil spirits from the sick person’s body. Ancient people also rely on the assistance and advice from the shaman or healers. Sometimes, ancient people also resort to extreme harmful measures such as beating, torturing or starving the person just to drive away the evil spirit.

During the Middle Ages, mental disturbances were believed to be signs of witchcraft. Because of this, accused or suspected witches were burned or tortured to prevent the emotional sickness from spreading. The Renaissance became the start of the period of building asylums. In asylums, patients lived in prison-like rooms, confined and isolated from the rest of society. Some of the patients were even chained to the walls. Indeed, the patients lived in extremely harsh conditions that instead of getting better, they even get worse and worse each day.

The first hospital focusing on mental illnesses was established in 1773 in Williamsburg, Virginia. Although clinicians then claimed that the hospital was built to bring back the health and cognitive functioning of the patient, the hospital still turned out to be a bit of a torture chamber. Some patients suffered from electrical shocks, water torture and starvation.

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