The history of mental health has been ever-changing. It has been susceptible to change ever since the idea came about. Every aspect from the names in which we categorize disorders, to how we treat the patients, to who treats the patients, where they are sent, the ways in which we communicate with each other about the disorders all the way to what is and what is not a disorder has been changed. This process will be a constant change and attempt to improve the system of how we help and treat mental health patients.
In the early stages of the classification of disorders and how they were labeled, it was highly unorganized. There was no truly organized system that laid out the disorders. No chart that was a guide to the usual symptoms of the disorders and the criteria is that must be met in order to be diagnosed with a disorder. It was up to the doctor to classify what disorder a patient had. Every doctor in theory was different and did not classify each disorder the same or even gave the same disorder the same name. This made things extremely complex, especially when it came to treatment. If you are going to seek treatment for a disorder you have just been diagnosed with and the doctor is not familiar with the specific terminology, they will not know how to treat you or what to treat. This is where the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders was developed in 1952. The DSM began the organization and universal classification of disorders. It gave universal terminology that could be used by doctors everywhere and allow everyone to be on the same page as to what disorders patients had and what the criteria were in order to have a specific diagnosis. Like every aspect of mental health, the DSM has evolved as well. We are currently on the fifth edition of the DSM which was published in 2013. Each one has had changes to what are disorders and has added and taken away disorders as well. The DSM has even changed the terminology as to what they are labeling already known disorders.
There is a video titled The Age of Fear that correlates with the history of psychiatry. It begins with a man telling his story of him being institutionalized as a young boy in 1954. He is in the birthplace of Psychology which is Germany. This is where all major aspects of psychology originate from and the earliest forms are traced back. It describes psychology as historically always depending on “intimidation, force, and fear” as the main forms of treatment for the mentally ill. They feel there is no cure for the mentally il, so this is the next best course of action for those who are. This is reinforced by the character’s testimony of his experiences. He was never treated for any disorder. Instead, he describes his encounters as being treated like an animal. He was beaten, thrown around, talked down upon, and treated poorly in general. Instead of helping these patients, they are being treated like caged animals with no respect and not seeking to help cure them of whatever disorder brought them to their premises. Attendants who had patients under their care went to extreme torture methods such as chaining them, confining them to cages and animal stalls, as well as bloodletting and mutilation where used as well. These were not used to heal whatsoever, but to “instill fear of punishment in them.” They advocated that terror acts forcibly on the body through the mind, thinking that this will rid the patients of whatever disorder they had.
Upon the Trans Allegheny Insane Asylum tour, a lot of aspects had changed within their focus from the original views of psychiatry. The building was specifically designed in many different ways that had a different specific purpose. For instance, the sandstone on the front of the building was hand-cut. lt was a process that took a while because each piece in theory was supposed to be the same size, shape, and length. If the piece was not perfect it was thrown out or used in the back of the building. The building itself was designed with wings. There were several layers of wings within the building. The farther away from the door you were, the worse off you were basically in terms of standings with the asylum. The closer you were to the front doors, the more trust they had in you, the more freedoms you had, and the closer you were to get out. The patients within the asylum that was more trusted were allowed to form sports teams and hold games within the premises. They even had a basketball team that would host games at their court against the local school. They were never beaten by the locals probably because that’s all they did was practice all day. One unique aspect of the building was the position of the actual building. It was facing east and west so that there was basically always sunlight within the building when there was daylight out. The halls were lined with tall windows that allowed ample amount of light to come into the halls. This was supposed to give a more open feel to the halls and a lighter feel to the hall in general. The asylum attempted to focus more on treatment than in the past. One practice that they held was lobotomies. If a person had a severe mental disorder, they would be strapped down to a bed. The doctors would hold their eyes open and shove an ice pick into their frontal lobe and swirl it around like “scrambled eggs.” This was thought to rid them of their mental disorder. The doctor that held these operations would do an excess of over 100 per day if needed.
Overall, the field of psychology in general has made huge strides from where it began. In the beginning, there was no focus on treatment. They treated the patients like animals and beat them senselessly. There was no attempt to rehabilitate or even treat. As time progressed, treatments became more and more frequent. Treatment methods are still evolving this day and will continue to for the foreseeable future. The diagnosis of disorders and classifications have also evolved into an organized system where all terms are basically universal and all professionals in the field have a general understanding of what another doctor has diagnosed a patient with. The strides will continue as well as changes to the way treatments are done, what diagnoses are called, and how involved doctors will be in the process.
References
- Abnormal Psychology New Mypsychlab With Pearson Etext Access Card. (2014).
- Pearson College iv (2013, February 20). Age of Fear: Psychiatry’s Reign of Terror. Retrieved October 25, 2017, from https://wwwyoutube.com/watch?y=YA MwaRLzm8
