History of Mental Illness Treatment in U'S'

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History of Mental Illness Treatment in U.S.
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What is the first thing you think of when you
hear the term mentally ill?
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17th Century

• People with mental illnesses were compared to
  animals
• It was thought they could not reason
• barely human

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17th c contd

• treatment consisted of torture
• Doctors thought they could tame mentally ill
  people
• Examples whipping, starving, bleeding

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Reform efforts in 18th Century

• In U.S. Quakers began reform
• Didnt believe you could cure mental illness
• Alternative make life better
• Examples calm environment, no doctors, no
  physical violence

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Reaction to Quakers

• Doctors felt threatened esp because Quakers did
  have success
• Next wave in 18th C--explosion psychiatric
  hospitals
• From 18 in 1840 to 139 in 1880
• Diverse groups (alcoholics, homosexuals, people
  w/ STDs) all lumped together

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1900-1950 The Darkest Period

• Mentally ill were seen as burden on society
• Eugenics movement led to
• Forced commitments to state mental institutions
• Laws prohibiting the mentally from
• Marrying
• Having children (forcibly sterilized)

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Treatment in the early 20th century

• Insulin coma
• Metrozol Convulsive (induced seizures)
• Electroshock
• Lobotomy (frontal lobes are where higher order
  processing occurs)
• Discovered b/c of Phinneas Gage

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Reforms after WWII

• Conscientious Objector service in hospitals
• Raised awareness
• Hard to forcibly commit
• More oversight of hospitals

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DSM (Diagnostic Statistical Manual)

• 1st DSM published in 1952
• Seeks to distinguish different mental disorders
• Most recent DSM IV published in 1994

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The State of Mental Health Today

• Advances in care due
• New drugs with fewer side effects
• More knowledge about science of mental illness
• Access to care remains a problem