A Scientific Look at Mental

Illness
 Review

 Ancient man considered mental diseases as a result of the influence of soul,

spirits, demons etc.
 People tried to close passages from where soul was considered to escape e.g.
closing eyes, ears, nose etc. with fishhooks, thorns etc.
 Soul was regarded as the main source of mental illness.
 Greeks and Romans initially believed that mentally ill were possessed by spirits
but later they took it the same as physical illness.
 People with mental diseases were treated very cruelly, even they were burnt
alive.
 Later, mad or mentally ill were regarded as witches and wizards, and they were
tortured and some were burnt to death.
 In the middle ages many women and men were burnt alive for having thought to
be witches or wizards.
 As a result of French and Industrial Revolutions many asylums and institutions
were established in Paris and Lyons, in France, and Bristol and Norwich in
England.
 By the end of the 18th century mental illness was beginning to be regarded as a
 A Scientific Look at Mental
Disorders
 In the late 18th century in France, there was a wide spread
increase in certain diseases. They were diagnosed and
regarded as nervous diseases so in 1790 laws were made
that separation of patients suffering from nervous diseases,
was required, from those suffering from other diseases.
 They were also separated from other criminals, thieves and
robbers etc.
 That was the beginning of the scientific outlook at mental
disorders in Europe.
 A Scientific Look at Mental
Disorders
Philippe Pinel ( 1745 – 1826 A.D):
He is regarded, by many psychologists, as the
father of Modern psychiatry.
 A Scientific Look at Mental
Disorders
 Philippe Pinel, took a big step forward by taking measures
that led towards freeing mentally sick people from chains in
their feet and hand cuffs.
 So Pinel is regarded as the pioneer in helping society to
recognize the fact that mental symptoms are a kind of
disease, and people suffering from such disorders should be
treated as sick and not considered to be possessed by evil
spirits, demons or the devil.
 A Scientific Look at Mental
Disorders
Samuel Tuke (1774 – 1857 A.D):
The British physician who did the same in England what Pinel did in
France.
 He also freed mental patients from their chains and started to treat
them as sick rather than possessed by spirits, demons or the devil.
 In England and France mental diseases were no longer being
considered as a work of demons, spirits etc. Mental diseases were
now regarded as belonging in the realm of diseases and a medical
point of view toward their diagnosis and treatment was adopted.
 A Scientific Look at Mental
Disorders
Franz Anton Mesmer (1734 – 1815 A.D):
He discovered what he called magnétism
animal (animal magnetism). It is also known
as mesmerism. The evolution of Mesmer's
ideas and practices led James Braid to develop
hypnosis in 1842.
 A Scientific Look at Mental
Disorders
Franz Anton Mesmer:
1. He treated mentally sick patients with a method, today know as Mesmerism.
2. In his view people have force, which he called animal magnetism.
3. In some people the balance of the animal magnetism is disturbed and they become
mad.
4. People who have high anima magnetism can influence other people who have low
animal magnetism.
5. He treated many people by touching them.
6. Gradually it was found out that there was no such thing as animal magnetism and
that he had no power to restore animal magnetism, and he fell into bad repute before
he died.
 Beginning of Hypnotism

James Braid (1795 – 1860 A.D):

A Scottish neurosurgeon who
coined the term and invented
the procedure known as
hypnotism.
 Beginning of Hypnotism
James Braid:
1. He was impressed by Mesmer’s method of treating people.
2. According to Braid, mental diseases can be cured in a certain way in
which a mentally sick person could be brought to accept the
suggestions, ideas given to him by the physician. This was the basic
principle of the hypnotism.
3. He rejected animal magnetism but observed that people’s mind can
be influenced by certain methods and thus their diseases can be
cured.
 Beginning of Hypnotism
Jean-Martin Charcot (1825 – 1893 A.D):
He was a French neurologist and professor of
anatomical pathology. His work greatly
impacted the developing fields of neurology
and psychology.
 Beginning of Hypnotism

 Jean-Martin Charcot, a French physician, wrote an article

in one of the prestigious medical journals, showing that
hypnotism can be used to treat hysteria.
 Then Bernheim showed that hypnotism can not only treat
hysteria but also other mental diseases.
 Beginning of Hypnotism
Hippolyte Bernheim (1840-1919 A.D):
He showed that
hypnotism can not only
treat hysteria but also
other mental diseases.
 So by the beginning of 20th century mental
diseases were seen as part of medical diseases
and procedures were tested and adopted to
treat them in a scientific manner.
 After World War II, ICD (current version:
ICD-10) , DSM (Current Version: DSM-IV-
TR) came into being.
 RECAP
 Ancients regarded it as the work of soul, evil
spirits, demon and the devil.
 They thought mentally sick were possessed by evil
so they tortured or even burnt them alive. Joan of
Arc is an example.
 The ancient Greeks and Romans thought that such
diseases were due to the imbalance in body fluids,
so treated them by trying to restore a balance.
 Recap
 In later years mentally sick were again treated cruelly,
beaten, tortured, chained, imprisoned.
 Then Pinel and Tuke freed them and showed that such
people were sick and not the evils.
 After the French and Industrial Revolutions mental illness
was regarded as a kind of sickness and many methods were
adopted for its treatment.
 ICD, DSM