The Early Greek And Roman Empires - 1952 Words

The earliest written accounts of depression date back to texts from ancient Mesopotamia, under the name melancholia. Little was understood about mental health at this point in time, and most mental illnesses and mood disorders were instead treated as demonic possessions. Treatment was left in the hands of religious leaders rather than medical practitioners, and most often involved practices of exorcism; beating and starvation were widely used, and were thought to drive evil spirits out of the bodies they afflicted. With the rise of the early Greek and Roman empires, treatment of the mentally ill began to see changes. Melancholia was viewed through a more progressive lens, and became regarded not as possession but as a true physiological†¦show more content†¦Among them were diet and exercise, traveling, music, and herbal remedies. Following Burton’s work in the 18th to the early 19th centuries, widespread views about depression did begin to change—rather than being viewed as the interference of evil spirits and demons, the general belief became that depression in a person was indicative of an inherent weakness of character. This pattern of thought led to further social isolation of depressed individuals, as many were shunned to live in poverty while others were frequently institutionalized against their wills. If anything about depression remained clear throughout history, it was that no one specific cause could be isolated and pinpointed. Burton and Hippocrates both suggested a combination of social, economic, and physiological influences that could combine to cause the development of mental illness; modern understanding indicates genetics, brain biology and chemistry, trauma, stress, and substance abuse can be, and often are, causes of depression. It is understood now that genetics in particular is an important factor, as a person with a family history of depression is two to three times more likely to be depressed themselves. It is important to note, however, that there are currently no known genes that specifically lead to the development of depression—rather, a person most likely inherits a combination of genes from parents who have had depression, and this combination will strongly predispose them