Psychiatry In The Victorian Era

Mental illness has evolved considerably since the Ancient Greek perspectives of balancing humours. As time progressed the benefit of knowledge helped to explain and treat mental illness. However the drastic and frequent changes that occurred have left a mixed but relevant legacy. Therefore this essay will explain how psychiatry has evolved. The historical theories of mental illness will be briefly noted in order to grasp early explanations of mental illness. The history of mental illness prior to the Victorian era will be considered in order to learn the challenges psychiatry had to overcome. The Victorian changes will also be considered and the development of modern psychiatric care will be explored in order to discover the challenges psychiatry …show more content…
The 1845 Lunacy Act and the County Asylums Act ensured local authorities provided asylum for lunatics, however, overcrowding soon became an issue. It was not until 1918 that modern approaches in psychiatry began to emerge. Approaches such as psychotherapy evolved, as soldiers returned from war suffering from shell shock. Historian Martin Stone states that shell shock cases helped to eliminate the Victorian theory of mental illness being hereditary . The Mental Health Act 1959 ended discrimination associated with mental health and urged the advancement of community care. After the 1960’s a combination of psychiatry, drug advancements and an emphasis on human rights, witnessed the de-institutionalisation movement. This became the driving force of modern care. Alternative psychiatric services were formed that helped treat patients while they lived within …show more content…
Historically, madness was considered supernaturally which lay the foundations of religious treatments. The mentally ill until the Victorian period had no systematic care, thus leaving psychiatry with archaic treatment methods. Consequently, government legislation made it legal for local authorities to withhold individuals. Overcrowding became an issue and an abundance of incarcerated individuals were available to study. Soldiers returned from war provided psychiatrists with new found knowledge. This understanding enabled psychiatry to consider scientific approaches. The changing attitudes of dealing with mental illness, history, scientists and doctors all helped develop the psychiatric treatments in today’s modern society. The inhumane treatments that caused such controversy are no longer in use, they will not be forgotten. However they taught modern psychiatry not to make the same