THROUGH HISTORY AND HUMANITIES LENS
IDS-402 Milestone Two: Mental Illness Through History and Humanities Lens
Shani L Hudgens
Southern New Hampshire University
MENTAL ILLNESS THROUGH HISTORY AND HUMANITIES LENS
2
IDS-402 Milestone Two: Mental Illness Through History and Humanities Lens
The following sections and subsections will discuss mental illness and the history of
treatments for people with disabilities. Treatments have changed dramatically through the years
as scientists learned more about mental illness and causes. Mental illness as analyzed through a
humanities lens which closely relates to the eradication of the inhumane methods to treat
mentally ill patients.
Historical Analysis of Mental Illness
Views on mental health and mental illness have developed over time. In the past, mental
illness thought to be caused by supernatural forces or demonic possessions were shunned. People
with mental illnesses were typically institutionalized and treated with tortuous methods (Jutras,
2017). These methods include trephination, bloodletting, purging, isolation, asylum, insulin
coma therapy, Electroconvulsive therapy, Metrazol therapy, and lobotomy (CSP | Concordia St.
Paul, 2016). Each of these are elaborated on in the following subsections.
Trephination.
Trephination was a treatment dating back to 7,000 years ago. This method was believed
to ease headaches, demonic possession, and mental illness (CSP | Concordia St. Paul, 2016). The
procedure involved boring a hole through the skull of a living person. Trephination is one of the
oldest surgical procedures; there is evidence that this procedure was used in the Neolithic period
(Mingren, 2020). Craniotomy is a related procedure today, but it is less invasive, and the part of
the skull removed is put back in place. The procedure used today is to treat aneurysms of the
brain and brain tumors (Nunez, 2020).
MENTAL ILLNESS THROUGH HISTORY AND HUMANITIES LENS
Bloodletting and Purging.
Treatments of bloodletting and purging are previous methods to treat mental illness
beginning in the 1600s. Thomas Willis, an English physician, said that mental illness was a result
of biochemical imbalances. Bleeding, vomiting, and purging are past misconceptions thought to
correct the imbalances. Mental illness and many other disorders were often treated with
bloodletting using leeches in the Western culture in the 1600s (CSP | Concordia St. Paul, 2016)
Isolation and Asylums.
Beginning in the medieval times, isolation was treatment for mental illness. Institutions
or insane asylums were common in the 1700s. Those with mental illness overcrowded these
institutions for treatment, but it is more likely that committing people to asylums rid the families
of the mentally ill patient. Asylums were known to treat patients with ice water baths and often
kept patients in restraints. Many asylums had sanitation problems which led to movements to
improve the quality of care for the mentally ill (CSP | Concordia St. Paul, 2016).
Insulin Coma Therapy.
Insulin coma therapy was a method of treatment for the mentally ill from 1927 to the
1960s. Patients were put into a coma between one and four hours by lowering their blood sugar
levels with insulin. The patient was subject to be in a coma for an