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Before Psychology

Before Psychology

Before Psychology became a study, how did people diagnose a person's mental stability?

Psychology Before

There were all sorts of things that were used to 'help' people who were mentally unstable. A common diagnoses in ancient times was possession by a demon or other bad spirit. Bad karma and other religious reasons were used quit frequently. Often times I have read about women getting hysterical and the doctor essentially (if I can say this with out offending) "gets the woman off" to calm her down. It was forced, but women usually didn't have any rights any way. Children would be put in crude mechanisms to keep them still if they wouldn't stay still. The church was the biggest answer to most mental problems since there was no scientific way to diagnose them.

Before Psychology Health & Special Psychology

What konquererz says is quite true. There was no way to diagnose some one with a mental illness because it imply wasn't defined back then. While a person with a small mental illness might be a able to live a normal life, sadly people who had stronger illness usually were put to death or confined for various reasons.

Psychology Before

It was usually considered demon possession or witchcraft or an imbalance of humors or vapors, or influence of spirits, etc. Pretty much anything out of the ordinary or unexplainable was explained this way.

Psychology Before

In the Victorian age use of a restraining chair was quite common. It looked just like the one they use on death row but it also had a head piece and gag if they complained, how sad.