The Human Brain and Chemical Imbalances

            According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a persons thinking, feelings, moods, daily functioning, and ability to relate to other humans. Just as hypothyroidism is a disorder of the thyroid, mental illnesses are disorders of the mind. Mental illnesses often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the seemingly normal demands of life. These seemingly effortless actions we take as humans can be broken down into a series of complex chemical reactions that happen within our body. The following will explain the history of treating mental illnesses of the mind, how chemical imbalances create mental illness, and how psychological therapy can benefit the mind. .
             Attempts to treat mental illness date back to as early as 5000 BCE as evidenced by the early discovery of surgically altered skulls by early Christians. (Porter 8) The early men of the Earth believed that mental illness was the result of spiritual of demonic possession, sorcery, or an angry deity. The men who unofficially titled themselves the doctors of their society would initiate a series of so-called treatments, one in particular called trephining. Trephining involved a hole being drilled into the skull using handmade stone instruments. It was definitely not a sterile procedure, as sterile technique was not implemented until the early 19th century. The theory behind trephining was through this opening the evil spirits-- thought to inhabit one's head and causing the mental illness-would be released and the individual would be cured. Some of the people who underwent this stone aged procedure survived, but most perished from infection due to lack of sterile instruments. Trephining did not prove to be effective in removing the so-called spirits and the technique did not last long. .
             In brief contrast, modern day medical treatments for mental illnesses are much more successful.