Scientific History of the Treatment of Mental Illness
Treatment of mental illnesses is an area of science and medicine that has been historically stigmatized and ignored. Recently, the battle against mental illness has gained more attention from the public, with a light being shone on some of the more questionable medical practices of the 20th century. As one in five Americans still suffer from mental illnesses, mental illness is one of the most common medical ailments, yet its treatments are continually misunderstood and ineffective (Hyde). It is universally agreed that early techniques for treating mental illness were abhorrent; however, in order to improve the treatment of mental illness in the future, both the successes and errors of the …show more content…
Even the greatest successes of the 20th century had a dark side. After the key discover that the root of mental illness lay in the mind, surgeons attempted to operate on the brain in order to cure patients. In 1946, psychiatrist Walter Freeman performed the first transorbital lobotomy on a violently suicidal patient. The procedure became a standard treatment for patients with schizophrenia or suicidal depression. Transorbital lobotomies took about ten minutes and involved electro-shocking patients into unconsciousness and hammering ‘ice-picks’ through the top of the eye sockets and into the frontal lobe of the brain to cut nerve connections. The procedure resulted in peaceful, passive patients. However, as recalled by lobotomy victim Howard Dully, other side effects included immaturity, lack of impulse control, and lack of feeling (White). Furthermore, the death rate of lobotomies was 25% (Foerschner). Fortunately, lobotomies fell out of vogue once it was discovered that medication was much more effective. The creation of pharmaceuticals was one of the most important advancements made in the treatment of the mentally ill since the creation of the first hospitals, but the psychopharmaceuticals created just as many problems as they solved. After the first drugs were shown to be effective, hospitalization decreased in popularity. Many institutions were dismantled, and their patients were removed, regardless of whether or not they had somewhere to go or someone to support them. While it was thought that being treated in a community-based setting rather than an institutional-based setting would improve the quality of life for the patient, some patients severely suffered. Families who had inadequate medical training or resources had to figure out how to take care of severely mentally ill relatives. According to Unite for Sight, an organization dedicated to quality
Treatment of mental illnesses is an area of science and medicine that has been historically stigmatized and ignored. Recently, the battle against mental illness has gained more attention from the public, with a light being shone on some of the more questionable medical practices of the 20th century. As one in five Americans still suffer from mental illnesses, mental illness is one of the most common medical ailments, yet its treatments are continually misunderstood and ineffective (Hyde). It is universally agreed that early techniques for treating mental illness were abhorrent; however, in order to improve the treatment of mental illness in the future, both the successes and errors of the …show more content…
Even the greatest successes of the 20th century had a dark side. After the key discover that the root of mental illness lay in the mind, surgeons attempted to operate on the brain in order to cure patients. In 1946, psychiatrist Walter Freeman performed the first transorbital lobotomy on a violently suicidal patient. The procedure became a standard treatment for patients with schizophrenia or suicidal depression. Transorbital lobotomies took about ten minutes and involved electro-shocking patients into unconsciousness and hammering ‘ice-picks’ through the top of the eye sockets and into the frontal lobe of the brain to cut nerve connections. The procedure resulted in peaceful, passive patients. However, as recalled by lobotomy victim Howard Dully, other side effects included immaturity, lack of impulse control, and lack of feeling (White). Furthermore, the death rate of lobotomies was 25% (Foerschner). Fortunately, lobotomies fell out of vogue once it was discovered that medication was much more effective. The creation of pharmaceuticals was one of the most important advancements made in the treatment of the mentally ill since the creation of the first hospitals, but the psychopharmaceuticals created just as many problems as they solved. After the first drugs were shown to be effective, hospitalization decreased in popularity. Many institutions were dismantled, and their patients were removed, regardless of whether or not they had somewhere to go or someone to support them. While it was thought that being treated in a community-based setting rather than an institutional-based setting would improve the quality of life for the patient, some patients severely suffered. Families who had inadequate medical training or resources had to figure out how to take care of severely mentally ill relatives. According to Unite for Sight, an organization dedicated to quality