Trephining, the act of drilling a hole in a person's skull, was once considered a treatment of mental health issues as it was deemed to be capable of freeing the person from being possessed. Trephining has caused many death of patients. 

New York University

- Exorcism
- Trephining
- Imprisonment and isolation
- Torture and death
- Asylum
- La Salpêtrière
- Dorothea Dix

Mental Health Treatment and Intervention in the Past

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

In the past when mental health was poorly understood, issues relating to one's mental health is often treated with exorcism: incantation, rituals, or prayers in an attempt to expel to entity that possessed the person. 

Exorcism as Mental Health Treatment

Trephining as Mental Health Treatment

People who suffered from mental health issues often were imprisoned, before such issues were properly understood. They tend to also be excluded from their community and even lose their property. 

Imprisonment and Isolation as Mental Health Treatment

Mental health patients, especially during the 1400s to 1600s, were often accused of using or under the influence of witchcraft and put through torture or death. 

Torture and Death as Mental Health Treatment

During the late 1700s, Philippe Pinel, a French physician, pushed for the humane treatment of mental health patients in the asylum. He began with patients at La Salpêtrière, freeing them from chains and conversing with them. Many were able to leave the institution as a result. 

Philippe Pinel and La Salpêtrière

Dorothea Dix was an advocate who pushed a regulated asylum as a mental health treatment reform legislation through relentless lobbying and activism. The first asylum was opened in the United States due to her efforts. 

Dorothea Dix

Pervasive in the 18th century, asylums were used to house (rather than treat) those who were suffering from psychological disorders. Those who were placed in these institutions were often dehumanized and neglected because their sole purpose was to separate this population from the general population.

Asylum used in Treating Mental Health Problems in the 18th Century

You can learn more about the timeline of mental health treatment in the United States here: https://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/37146/A-History-of-Mental-Institutions-in-the-United-States/#vars!date=1810-07-03_14:51:59!

Mental Health Treatment in the United States: Timeline

Community mental health centers are the most common treatments available currently.

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