Lacy, a fifteen-y/o girl, skipped out across the open field to the play structure. She quickly met up with two other adolescent girls who were already at the structure. Lacy began skipping around them, pulling on their arms and giving sporadic hugs. The other two girls struggled to their balance. .
"I'm out, I'm out, and I'm out here to play. I'm out here to pppllaayy.
"Are you ok Lacy?"" asked one of the other girls. .
"I'm fine,"" she answered twirling around in a circle.
"How much sugar did you have today?"" asked the other.
""I feel good, so good. I'm going to climb as high as I can,"" she replied running over to the slide and climbing to the top of it. Once at the top she attempted to climb up to the top of one of the support poles.
"Lacy!"" said an adult woman's voice. Lacy looked down toward her. " Can you spell M A N I C?"" she said slowly.
Lacy thought for a moment and then smiled,"" I should get down now, shouldn't I"".
Thousands of years ago, ancient Egyptians believed there was no difference between physical and mental illness. They also believed the cardi/o was responsible for mental problems. A common belief was that mental illness was caused from a biological malfunction. For example, depression, they believed, was caused from excess "black bile"".
Evil spirits and demonic possession were another way societies tried to explain mental illness. Animalistic treatment as a form of punishment became their answer. Society tried to ignore and forget about the mentally ill. Very few dr. would even attempt to treat the mentally ill due to a fear of social outcasts. According to the article titled "History of Mental Illness and Early Treatment in a Nutshell,"" inmates were over crowded in dark cells sometimes sleeping 5 or 6 to a mattress on damp floors and chained in place; with no light, no fresh air and little nutrition (2).
The first hospital, which would take care of the mentally ill, was Pennsylvania Hospital founded by the Quakers in 1752.
