Historically,
mental disorders have had three major explanations, namely, the
supernatural,
biological and
psychologicalmodels.
[1] For much of recorded history, deviant behavior has been considered supernatural and a reflection of the battle between good and evil. When confronted with unexplainable, irrational behavior and by suffering and upheaval, people have perceived evil. In fact, in the
Persian Empire from 550 to 330 B.C., all physical and mental disorders were considered the work of the
devil.
Mesopotamia
Mental illnesses were well known in ancient
Mesopotamia,
[6] where diseases and mental disorders were believed to be caused by specific deities.
[7] Because
hands symbolized control over a person, mental illnesses were known as "hands" of certain deities.
[7] One psychological illness was known as
Qāt Ištar, meaning "Hand of
Ishtar".
[7] Others were known as "Hand of
Shamash", "Hand of the Ghost", and "Hand of the God".
[7] Descriptions of these illnesses, however, are so vague that it is usually impossible to determine which illnesses they correspond to in modern terminology.
[7]Mesopotamian doctors kept detailed record of their patients'
hallucinations and assigned spiritual meanings to them.
[6] A patient who hallucinated that he was seeing a dog was predicted to die;
[6] whereas, if he saw a gazelle, he would recover.
[6] The royal family of
Elam was notorious for its members frequently suffering from insanity.
[6] Erectile
Egypt
Limited notes in an
ancient Egyptian document known as the
Ebers papyrus appear to describe the affected states of
concentration,
attention, and emotional distress in the heart or mind.
[8] Some of these were interpreted later, and renamed as
hysteria and
melancholy. Somatic treatments included applying bodily fluids while reciting
magical spells.
Hallucinogens may have been used as a part of the healing rituals. Religious temples may have been used as therapeutic
retreats, possibly for the induction of receptive states to facilitate sleep and the interpretation of
dreams.
[9]