From the Stone Age to Present Day
Stigma surrounding Mental health, specifically mental disorders, has been recounted back to Prehistoric times. Within this segment of the exhibit, mental health's reputation through the years is explored through a collection of artifacts. Upsetting torture methods, intense forms of shame, as well as mental health campaigns are just a few examples of what stigma's role has played throughout history. Keep scrolling for more information.
Stigma surrounding Mental health, specifically mental disorders, has been recounted back to Prehistoric times. Within this segment of the exhibit, mental health's reputation through the years is explored through a collection of artifacts. Upsetting torture methods, intense forms of shame, as well as mental health campaigns are just a few examples of what stigma's role has played throughout history. Keep scrolling for more information.
Cultural stigma has been prevalent in how mental health is perceived. This chunk of text located on uniteforsight.org introduces how impactful ancient cultures depictions of mental health resulted in dehumanizing treatments methods. Mental health perception varied and continues to vary greatly depending on the time and place.
"A Brief History of Mental Illness and the U.S. Mental Health Care System."
Unite For Sight, www.uniteforsight.org/mental-health/module2. Accessed
26 Oct. 2017.
"A Brief History of Mental Illness and the U.S. Mental Health Care System."
Unite For Sight, www.uniteforsight.org/mental-health/module2. Accessed
26 Oct. 2017.
Many cultures have viewed mental illness as a form of religious punishment or demonic possession. In ancient Egyptian, Indian, Greek, and Roman writings, mental illness was categorized as a religious or personal problem. In the 5th century B.C., Hippocrates was a pioneer in treating mentally ill people with techniques not rooted in religion or superstition; instead, he focused on changing a mentally ill patient’s environment or occupation, or administering certain substances as medications. During the Middle Ages, the mentally ill were believed to be possessed or in need of religion. Negative attitudes towards mental illness persisted into the 18th century in the United States, leading to stigmatization of mental illness, and unhygienic (and often degrading) confinement of mentally ill individuals.
An example of the degrading mental illness treatments is shown in the image from historycooperative.org. Individuals throughout history have often been confined or caged, expressing them as being less than human as a result of their illness. By locking up the mentally ill, stigma expands as individuals are defined as being dangerous and threatening to the public.
Asylum torture method. History Cooperative, historycooperative.org/
a-beautiful-mind-the-history-of-the-treatment-of-mental-illness/. Accessed
29 Oct. 2017.
Asylum torture method. History Cooperative, historycooperative.org/
a-beautiful-mind-the-history-of-the-treatment-of-mental-illness/. Accessed
29 Oct. 2017.
The image pictured above showcases three mentally ill women being "treated" during the mid 1800s. Caged, confined, and shamed, these women were subject to the brutal stigma surrounding mental illness in 19th century America.
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← 1800-1900s Asylum Photo GalleryTo the left is a slideshow showcasing images relating to mental health asylums. The first three images can be found on sliptalk.com and the last two on CBSnew.com. Asylum methods of treatments were extremely dehumanizing, tormenting, and often did more harm to the mental patient. As a result of stigma surrounding mental health, patients were subject to torture. The treatments also aided the idea that mentally ill people needed to be tamed and were dangerous to society. Locked away, never to be seen, patients were isolated which is the opposite of what is needed. Shown in the first image, patients with extremely different needs were clumped together into one asylum rather than being individually treated specific to their illness. This stereotyping added to the already prevalent stigma of the time period.
Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. Slip Talk, www.sliptalk.com/asylum-photographs/. Accessed 12 Jan. 2018. Rare asylum image. CBS News, www.cbsnews.com/pictures/ 19th-and-20th-century-psychiatry-22-rare-photos/. Accessed 12 Jan.2018. |
The Bible is an early source of stigma surrounding mental health as stories of evil spirits are repeatedly mentioned. Rather than understanding mental disorders as psychological illnesses, they were deemed as demonic possession that overcame and individual and could be treated through intense exorcisms. This Bible quote from the book of Samuel is located on psychologytoday.com, where there's an in-depth look at how mental illnesses were perceived during antiquity. Located HERE is a quote from an article that addresses how religion affects patients with mental illness in today's day and age. While the Bible was initially a source of stigma, it is now used in liberating ways for hope and faith for the mentally ill to seek refuge.
Burton, Neel. "A Brief History of Psychiatry." Psychology Today, 2 June 2012,
www.psychologytoday.com/blog/hide-and-seek/201206/brief-history-psychiatry.
Accessed 26 Oct. 2017.
Burton, Neel. "A Brief History of Psychiatry." Psychology Today, 2 June 2012,
www.psychologytoday.com/blog/hide-and-seek/201206/brief-history-psychiatry.
Accessed 26 Oct. 2017.
But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him… And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
—1 Samuel 16:14, 23 (KJV)
To visit Psychologytoday to read more on Biblical influence, click HERE
To the right is a YouTube video from the CrashCourse channel that thoroughly explains how mental health stigma has adapted throughout history. The video connects stigma to social issues in different time periods, illustrating how external factors influenced the large transition from asylum methods to legitimate hospital treatment plans of the mentally ill. The "Medical Model" defines psychological illnesses as diseases that can be diagnosed based off of symptoms, and in some cases can be treated and ultimately cured. "Psychological Disorders: Crash Course Psychology #28." YouTube, CrashCourse, 25 Aug. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuhJ-GkRRQc. Accessed 14 Dec. 2017. |
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Mental Health America, founded in 1909, was a critical turning point in mental health history. Stigma, although still prevalent, would never be the same. The organization was created by an ex-mental health patient himself. Clifford Beers experienced horrific asylum treatment as a result of American stigma towards psychological disorders at the time. He turned his personal struggle into a non-profit movement with a goal of ending mental health stigma through education and research.
MHA's main goals
- to improve attitudes toward mental illness and the mentally ill;
- to improve services for people with mental illness ; and
- to work for the prevention of mental illnesses and the promotion of mental health.
"Our History by Decade." Mental Health America, www.mentalhealthamerica.net/
our-history. Accessed 26 Oct. 2017.
An anti-stigma campaign called "See Me" occurs annually in Glasgow, Scotland. This movement inspires individuals from all walks of life that experience mental illness personally or are affected otherwise to walk together around the outskirts of the city, spreading awareness, uniting for change. This movement is called the "Walk a Mile". This campaign has sparked many similar concepts within America today.The video below from www.seemescotland.org outlines the goal of this campaign and ultimately expresses stigma's role within today's day and age. Campaigns similar to Walk a Mile are being implemented in countries all over the world as the spread of mental illness stigma awareness grows.
"Walk a Mile - Where did it Start." See Me, www.seemescotland.org/
our-movement-for-change/walk-a-mile/.
"Walk a Mile - Where did it Start." See Me, www.seemescotland.org/
our-movement-for-change/walk-a-mile/.
The images above are from the Walk a Mile campaign walk in 2015. Chris McCullough, the founder of the See Me organization can be found in each photo. Hundreds of people gather in Glasglow, Scotland to participate.
Walk a Mile participants, Glasgow, Scotland. See Me, www.seemescotland.org/
our-movement-for-change/walk-a-mile/. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.
Walk a Mile participants, Glasgow, Scotland. See Me, www.seemescotland.org/
our-movement-for-change/walk-a-mile/. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.
With campaigns such as MHA and See Me, and an overall growth of mental health awareness, more and more individuals are seeking treatment, coming to terms with their disorder. The following quote can be found on NAMI.org (National Alliance on Mental Illness). Mental health affects every single human in some shape or form. Whether the individual themselves has a disorder (diagnosed or undiagnosed), or they no someone suffering, mental illness is much more common that it may seem. Through campaigns and education on stigma, mental health no longer becomes such an isolating topic.
"What is Stigma?" National Alliance on Mental Illness, www.nami.org/stigmafree.
Accessed 26 Oct. 2017.
"What is Stigma?" National Alliance on Mental Illness, www.nami.org/stigmafree.
Accessed 26 Oct. 2017.
One in 5 American adults experiences some form of mental illness in any given year. And across the population, 1 in every 25 adults is living with a serious mental health condition such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or long-term recurring major depression.
To the right is an retro mental health awareness poster published in Hospitals Magazine in 1969. This image can be found on hospitalsandhealthnetworks.com. Mental Health propaganda explaining a mentally ill individual as having a "cripple mind" is an inaccurate source of awareness. Click HERE to view more American propaganda that distorted American beliefs at one point during history.
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Inaccurate representations of mental illnesses shown in such ways foster stigma.
"We asked her to smile but she didn't know how." 1969. Hostpitals and Health Networks, 19 May 2016, www.hhnmag.com/articles/7271-retro -mental-illness-propaganda-will-make-you-cringe. Accessed 12 Jan. 2018. |
Below is a chunk of text from the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. While mental health stigma is not a thing of the past, it's become globally recognized as an important issue to educate individuals on. With more rapid research in the psychological sciences, stigma is slowly disappearing. More individuals are being diagnosed with disorders, which may at first feel burdensome, with medication and updated treatment options, mental health is no longer such a controversial issue.
Stuart, Heather. "Fighting the stigma caused by mental disorders." NCBI, 7 Oct.
2008, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2559930/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2017.
Over the last decade, public health interest in both the burden of mental illness and the hidden burden of mental health related stigma has grown. Organizations such as the World Health Organization, the WPA, and the World Association for Social Psychiatry, to name a few, have all recognized stigma as a major public health challenge. Growing support for stigma reduction is also evident in the number of government declarations, mental health system reviews, and action plans that have high-lighted the disabling effects of stigma and the importance of reducing discrimination. Large-scale nationally coordinated population-based anti-stigma initiatives have also emerged during this time in Australia 24, New Zealand 25, the United Kingdom 26and Japan 27.