Depression In The 1800s

The Rest Cure And The “ Yellow wallpaper” What is anxiety and why do we experience it? What are things like postpartum depression and psychosis? In the 1800’s mental illnesses such as these were perceived differently than they are now. Written in 1892 The “Yellow Wallpaper” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman having had experiences of her own with the rest cure writes about a character suffering from depression and hysteria. Gilman is able to illustrate throughout the short story the ineffectiveness of this treatment developed by Weir Mitchell.

I have always been a fan of Brattleboro, Vermont, since it is the first town you cross once you drive into Vermont on Route 91. I knew such a quant town would have some history so I dove right into researching Brattleboro online. What I found was far from quant.

This TedTalk is used to bring attention to depression and make it a discussion for all. Addressing the problem will then help to begin a change in the

Charles Barber’s article, “The Medicated Americans: Antidepressants Prescriptions on the Rise,” focuses on the views of “depression” and “Depression” that are caused by antidepressants like Prozac, Paxil, and Norpramin. Barber talks about how people do not understand the differences of depression which causes misdiagnoses and misunderstanding of the two. One meaning of “Depression” is how it is used to do describe a serious medical condition and the other meaning a broad terming meaning feeling down, bummed out, or anything along those lines. A study conducted by the New England Research Institution showed that 43 percent of people who have been prescribed antidepressants did not have any diagnosis of depression or any mental health conditions.

Doctors used insulin to put the subjects into a coma. They thought it was good because it put the mind to rest. By the end of it all 44 people ended up dying from it, due to the procedure being unsafe (Mental: A History of the Madhouse). Another form of treatment was using tranquilizing drugs. Using tranquilizers was suppose to calm patients down, but instead it was giving subjects the effects of parkinson’s disease: hand tremors, muscle rigidness, and impaired speech (Mental: A History of the

That is just one of the many, many examples of “cures” they used back then, such as “The Electric Chair,” Waterboarding, Mental Asylums, beaten to near death, and unfortunately, many more. The three primary procedures that were used to “cleanse” the patient, were called the BVP. Also known as Bleeding(cutting), Vomiting(emetic), and Purging(laxative). Doctors used the idea of being able to expel fluids from the patient, that it would cure them. However, that was not the case.

In the late 1800’s people with mental illness weren 't accomdated like people are today. Often people with illnesses, such as bipolar disorder, we 're teased and forced to lock themselves in a room away from civilization. No one truly cared for those with mental illness or tried to find out ways to accomdate them in school or regular life. Even when mental hospitals became more helpful those suffering from different illnesses would rather stay at home in fear than to seek professional help because of the risk of getting teased or called pathetic. The mentally ill patients were made prisoners, sent to alms houses or forced to remain at home because the first colonist believed they were “sick in the head” due to practicing

People would use other ways to help treat the mentally ill by bloodletting and purgatives (Floyd, Barbara). Nowadays there

The year is 1615 in Colonial America. Colonists face several different problems: war with natives, rivalry with Spain, inability to adapt to the new climate...and, for Colonists suffering from a mental illness, there was the very real fear of being killed or thrown out into the wild. During this time period (and for many thousands of years before), the explanation for mental illness was simple--clearly a demon had possessed their soul(Leupo). As time progressed, stigmas around mental illness progressed as well. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not so much.

This was a popular remedy circulating in the psychiatry field in its infancy in the 19th century. The rest cure consisted of a strictly enforced regiment prescribed by a doctor,

Troubled Life during the Great Depression The prosperity of the 1920’s gave the American citizenry hope for better jobs, better pay and increased chances of prosperity. People were full of life as they could afford to pay for their basic needs, and even to keep a little money aside as savings. However, the Great Depression presented challenges that were difficult for the people to understand or deal with.

This seems to have been a pattern among doctors who practiced this treatment: restricting or prohibiting activities thought to be too stimulating for the patient, even though this would most likely have the opposite intended effect on a patient with depression. As shown with the narrator in the story, the under-stimulation is frustrating to her at first and eventually leads to her brain providing its own stimulation in the form of

One in ten children and adolescents will experience a period of major depression (“Mental Health Myths and Facts”). Many avoid the topic of mental health like the plague. In truth, people should be able to talk about mental illness and its repercussions on society and the individual. A minority of those affected with mental illnesses get help. Therefore, it is important to discuss possible solutions to helping those who suffer get treatment.

Questioning the Incomprehensible Mental illness is defined as health conditions involving changes in thinking, emotion or behavior (or a combination of these) (American Psychiatric Association). There are different types of depression and they effect people differently also. With major depression working, sleeping, eating and spending time with friends and family becomes difficult to do because there is the constant feeling of hopelessness. Seeing that I have family and friends who suffer from depression, I wanted to learn more and see why people who are depressed think the way they do, what goes on inside their head to make them feel hopeless and if medication is the only way to help deal with depression even though for some people medicine doesn’t fully help them. What is the science behind depression and what makes a person’s brain chemistry without depression different from someone who suffer with depression?

The article hints that depression is one of the most compelling diseases challenging human life in the contemporary world. Its prevalence rate is shooting yearly among the young populations. Individuals who encounter depression during their childhood and early adolescence are likely to have persistent depressive disorder during their adulthood. Childhood depression is an issue of significant concern since it challenges the wellbeing and development of children and it may project severe consequences in adolescence and adulthood.