Mental Illness in the Bible

In the bible, Mental illness is seen as a punishment by God for sinning. In the book of Deuteronomy Moses warns that if the people do not follow the commandments from god then 'the Lord will smite you with madness' (Deuteronomy 28:28). One instance of this being carried out was with King Saul. King Saul …

The History of Asylums

The first asylums often included people that were seen as a nuisance to society along with those that were mentally unwell. This included criminals, prostitutes, beggars and those that were unemployed (Conrad & Schneider, 1992). That created a chaotic environment where it was difficult to determine who was fit for work and who was not …

Prehistoric Beliefs About Mental Illness

Throughout time there have been accounts of people that deviate from social norms with their behaviours and thoughts. But in prehistoric times, these issues were not thought to be due to mental illness. Instead, they were attributed to demonic possession. One source of evidence we have for this is trepanned skills that date back to …