Discovery of Depressive Disorders and Mental Health Illnesses
Mental health illnesses and depressive disorders have been around for centuries, and we’re only now starting to take the initiative and develop treatments for them. The earliest record of these disorders can be traced back to the second-millennium B.C.E in ancient Mesopotamia. In this period people had believed depression to be a spiritual illness, rather than physical due to the beliefs of demonic possession. Before the invention of modern medicine, mental health illnesses were often treated with therapeutic methods like gymnastics, yoga, and meditation. In the age of The Enlightenment in the 18th and 19th centuries, depression was believed to be inherited and it was concluded that there was no cure for such a disease. It wasn’t until the 20th century that advancements were made in understanding mental health disorders. Notable psychiatrists like Sigmund Freud, Aaran Beck, and Martin Seligman have recognized these disorders as significant. By the 21st century antidepressants such as Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil had been created to treat depression and other mental health disorders alike.
By Bianca Shen