History of Mental Health

The bad spirits were consider the main cause of mental illness and abnormal behaviors and to normalize the behavior it was believed to get them out of the head by a process called ‘Trepanning”. It is a process in which a hole is drilled into the skull so that the bad spirits could get out of the head. The Psychology and the concept of mental health did not emerge as a separate discipline until the late 1800s but its early history can be tracked by looking at the times of early Greek philosophers. Aristotle wrote about the relationship of soul to the body which is referred and Plato believed that the soul exists supra tally from the body.

In the 17th century Rene Descartes give the idea of Dualism following the concept of Aristotle He argues that mind and body are the two entities that interact to form human experience. The theory of four humor was given by Hippocrates in the light of the knowledge of the Greek philosophers. According to this four humors must be in balance for the healthy working of body and mind .Many consider it to be the first attempt to create science that would become Psychology 2.000 years later. In the 18th century mental asylum we’re created considering the mental health as an issue but the condition was quite bad as the stigma attach to it was far more than the suffering itself .
People would hide their family members who were mentally ill or in worst case scenario throw them on the streets Living conditions were quite rough in the asylum people would visit asylum to see mentally ill people as they are visiting zoo. In the 18th century there was a slide shift towards the attitude in dealing with mental health problems and mental illness Psychologicalcal nursing started in the mental asylum in the late 18th century. In 1818 first medical journal published the journal of psychological doctor (Germany).

In the 19th century electroconvulsive therapy was conducted first time. It is also known as electroshock therapy. In this electrical seizures are induced in the body to provide relief from mental disorders. This treatment was regularly used in early times for treating mental illness but know different pharmaceutical drugs are used align with different therapy to encounter mental illness. The trend of seeking help from a professional for the betterment of a mental health is increasing day by day. The problem is really hitting the sky as people are getting depressed and sad in their sedentary life style it becomes hard for them to take their mental health into consideration in the mechanical life of this era.

If we talk about the history of mental illness in Pakistan, it has always been in the roots and has caused unrest in many households. The people with mental disorders can be seen everywhere but the they are reluctant to disclose because it is considered to be a taboo to go to a psychologist for consultation. During the early stages of the disorder, people ignore the problems happening to them and try to settle the things down as if everything is ok but when the things get worse their families, considering them mentally disturbed, take them to mental asylums as that person is bringing disgrace to the family.
The thing which needs to be spread and understood is that if any disorder is treated at the early stage, there won’t be any need to take severe actions in future. There are many disorders such as depression etc. which are not taken up seriously by the sufferer at first and when things get worse, people isolate themselves and are forcefully compelled by their own selves to lead a miserable life. Awareness is needed to be raised that mental health is as important as physical heath. Just because you can't see it doesn’t mean it's not there Getting the mental disorder treated is as simple and casual as getting treatment of fever. People and society have made mental health awareness a taboo without even knowing that how these illogical societal norms are adversely destroying the lives of people