Since there were no lunatic asylums, people with mental illness were a family responsibility. Realizing that these people would hurt themselves or others and could destroy life and property, laws were passed that set specific guidelines. They made provisions for guardians to take care of the insane. In addition to bleeding and purging, this could be done by rest, exercise, abstinence from alcohol, and sex.īoth the Greeks and Romans recognized that the mentally ill were capable of causing major social problems, as well as harm to themselves. Hippocrates proposed that the treatment of mental disorders should involve restoring the balance of fluids or humors in the body. Mania was characterized by choler or yellow bile, and melancholy, or depression, by black bile. Hippocrates classified madness as either mania or melancholy. These humors were connected to the four ages of man, the four elements, and the four temperaments.
He developed the theory of the four humors: blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. Hippocrates (460-377 b.c.) viewed the body as stable until illness perverted it. In Greek mythology Ajax, in a deranged state, slaughtered sheep thinking they were enemy soldiers. Indeed, the idea of mental disorders as religious conflicts evolved early. Herodotus (484?-420? b.c.), the famous Greek historian, described the madness of King Cambyses of Persia who mocked the gods.
Madness has been know and feared by society throughout history. For example, among the remains of the Incas in Peru are skulls with holes and trephination devices. Many other civilizations independently developed such a procedure. This procedure involved drilling a hole in the head of the individual to let evil spirits out of the body. Early medicine men, considering such individuals to be possessed by demons, introduced a technique called trephination. The divergent responses have paved the way for lasting controversy that exists even today. People with mental disorders have always been recognized as different and treated in various ways. The term "bedlam" became associated with chaos, confusion, and poor treatment, which reflected the general attitude toward mental illness at the time. London's Bethlem asylum-better known as Bedlam-was founded in 1247, making it one of the oldest institutions of its kind. Later, hospices, then asylums developed to house them. With the development of the Christian church during the Middle Ages, exorcism, shrines, and saints became of great importance for the treatment of mental illness.ĭuring the early years of the Middle Ages the community took care of the mentally ill. As a result, magical approaches to therapy and rituals evolved. It is no wonder that throughout history people of different cultures have explained deviant or abnormal behavior as the work of demons, external spirit forces, and poisons. No single paradigm for explaining mental illness exists. Although much research has been done, mental disorders remain elusive, and their treatment is still disputed. Mental illness remains a mystery wrapped inside a puzzle. Mental Illness During the Middle Ages Overview
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