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In a Nutshell ~ History of Mental Illness-pt1 - Page 2

© Colleen Sullivan

They were not recognized as sick people and were accused of having abandoned themselves to shameful and forbidden practices with the devil, sorcerers and other demons (unbelievably there are people who still believe this today). The mentally ill were accused of having succumbed to spells, incantations and of having committed many sinful offences and crimes. They were persecuted without mercy and many of them were burned at the stake.

The few doctors who tried to convince the authorities and general public that the "insane" were mentally ill, and sick people who needed attention and care were ridiculed. Often they faced danger to their professional reputations and to their person as well.

During the 1700's many people were simply locked away by their families, perhaps for a lifetime. Poorer individuals were jailed or placed in publicly funded almshouses. They received basic car, but conditions were undeniably bad.

Institutional Care

During the 18th and 19th centuries, hospitals and asylums assumed the care of the mentally ill. The first hospital to accept and treat mentally ill patients was the Pennsylvania Hospital founded by the Quakers in 1752. Treatment there was the same as for other patients...clean surroundings, good care and nutrition, fresh air and light...in short the mentally ill were treated as human beings.

Asylums for the Mentally Ill

The word "asylum" means shelter or refuge. One definition found in the 10th edition of Webster's Dictionary is "an institution for the care of the destitute or sick and especially the insane".

The first actual mental asylum in America opened in 1769 under the guidance of Benjamin Rush, who became known as "America's first psychiatrist."

Please go on to part 2 of this article for more!

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