Why was mental illness treated so poorly in the past?

For much of history, the mentally ill have been treated very poorly. It was believed that mental illness was caused by demonic possession, witchcraft, or an angry god (Szasz, 1960).

Is it okay to treat people with mental illness badly?

But statistically, people with mental illness are actually more vulnerable and less likely to be dangerous than anyone else. Excusing horrible behaviour for a mental disorder makes it seem as though being horrible is the norm for people with mental illness. And that’s not okay.

What was the treatment for mental illness in medieval times?

If someone was considered to be possessed, there were several forms of treatment to release spirits from the individual. The most common treatment was exorcism, often conducted by priests or other religious figures: Incantations and prayers were said over the person’s body, and she may have been given some medicinal drinks.

What was the treatment for mental illness in the 1930s?

As a result, some of the treatments in those days were purely physical approaches to ending mental disorders and their symptoms. These included ice water baths, physical restraints (pictured here), and isolation.

How did people with mental illness get treated?

In the 1600s, Europeans began to isolate those with mental illness, often treating them inhumanly and chaining them to walls or keeping them in dungeons. The mentally ill were often housed with the disabled, vagrants and delinquents. Concern over the treatment of the mentally ill increased over the 1700s and some positive reforms were enacted.

Can you change the person who snarls at the waiter?

The One You Want to Change. People aren’t channels, hairstyles or undies. You can’t change them. Someone who snarls at the waiter will always be the kind of person who snarls at the waiter – whether they’re snarling or not. People can change, but only when they’re ready and usually only when they’ve felt enough pain.

What did a mentally ill woman do in her last days?

There she depended on melting snow for water, residual heat from a furnace that had not been completely shut off, and apples from a single apple tree in the yard. Though she could see the neighbors across the street, she hid from them, only venturing out at night to pick those apples. She was 51.