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6500 B.C.
People started using trephination to treat mental health problems. This is a surgical intervention where a hole is drilled, incised or scraped into the skull using simple surgical tools. -
400 B.C.
People thought that mental disorders were caused by the displeasure of gods, but Hippocrates started treating mental diseases with psychology. -
In Valencia, Spain the first place that was specifically for mentally ill people was established.
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Most europeans began to isolate mentally ill people.
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Fillippe Pinel took over an insane asylum and forbid the use of chains and shackles.
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Dorothea Dix observed how horrible mentally ill people are treated and convinces the pope to examine how cruelly they are treated.
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Emil Kraepelin researches mental disorders more scientifically.
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The first Federal Quarantine Act was passed.
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Nellie Bly poses as a mental patient and reports how they were treated.
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The first lobotomy was performed on a human. This is a surgical operation involving incision into the prefrontal lobe of the brain.
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Clifford Beers wrote an autobiography about how he was treated while he was in a mental institution.
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Malaria- induced fever was discovered by Julius Wagner- Jauregg to treat neurosyphilitic paresis.
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People began treating mental diseases by putting them in an insulin coma.
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Ugo Cerletti discovered electroshock therapy.
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The National Mental Health Act was signed by Harry Truman.
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Began using lithium to treat psychosis.
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Anti-psychotic drugs were successfully given to people to control the symptoms of psychosis.
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This was the peak of the number of mentally ill patients in the hospitals.
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Behavior therapy is developed. This is the treatment of neurotic symptoms by training the patient's reactions to stimuli.
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Thomas Szasz wrote a book about his belief that there is no such thing as schizophrenia.
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Erving Goffman wrote book that states that psychotic symptoms are caused by being hospitalized.
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Ken Kesey wrote a book about his experience when he worked for a psychiatric ward.
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Federal money was given to go towards mental hospitals.
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The amount of people who were in mental hospitals decreases because they can live on their own with the anti-psychotic drugs.
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A movie was made based on Ken Kesey’s book.
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The National Alliance for the Mentally ill provided help for people with psychiatric disorders.
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Mentally ill people made up about 1/3rd of homeless people.
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The National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression was formed. It is the largest donor-supported organization that supports research on brain and behavior disorders
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New anti-psychotic drugs were made to treat schizophrenia.
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7.2% of inmates in American jails were seriously mentally ill.
