History

Ancient Views of Depression

Causation Treatment

Early Egypt	Loss of Status or Money	Talking it Out Religion Suicide is accepted
Job/Old Testament	Despair, Cognition	Faith
Homer	Gods take mind away
Aeschylus	Demons	Exorcism
Socrates	Heaven – sent Not shameful	None A Blessing
Aristotle	Melancholia	Music
Hippocrates	Melancholia Natural Medical Causes	Abstinence excesses Vegetable Diet Exercise
Celsus	A Form of Madness	Entertaining Stories Diversion Persuasion Therapy
Galen	Psychic functions of the brain affected	Confrontation Humor Exercise

MARK S. GOLD M.D.
1986

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Mental illness is evident in the history of mankind as late as 400 B.C. It is believed that the Greek physician Hippocrates treated mental disorders as diseases. It is also thought that he believed that these types of illnesses should be understood in terms of disturbed physiology, rather than reflections of the displeasure of the gods or of some evidence of demonic possession, as they were often displayed in Egyptian, Indian, Greek, and Roman writings. It is also thought that later, the Greek medical writers set out treatments for mentally ill people that include quiet, occupation, and the use of drugs such as the purgative hellebore. Family members care for most people with mental illness in ancient times.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/nash/timeline/index.html