Mental illness has been treated for thousands of years with a variety of methods. It has been so feared by different cultures that atrocious and inhumane acts were committed.
The ancient Egyptians drilled holes in patient's skulls to release what they believed were evil spirits. Other civilizations maimed, tortured, and murdered the helpless victims of mental illness.
Were these heinous acts against the mentally ill justifiable? Perhaps the answer lies deeper than we may think. Is it possible that we all are afflicted with some form of a mental sickness?
Many people are plagued by some form of mental illness. Whether it is a friend, family member, or themselves, people associated with such a tragedy often suffer long term effects. Diagnoses like Schizophrenia, Manic Depression, and Disassociated Identity Disorder are becoming increasingly more common.
It has been well documented that those who forego traumatic experiences usually have some kind of mental breakdown afterward. It is during this fragile period where most contract a mental illness. All of us have undergone a life tragedy or circumstance. Considering this fact alone, one would think mental illness was much more alive than we realize.
All people have witnessed temporary rage within their own mind from time to time. Basic emotions like jealousy and confusion can lead to a momentary breakdown. During this critically delicate phase, mental illness can quite possibly begin to fester. A state of delusion sometimes may occur at this point. Also, visual and auditory hallucinations may begin to arise. Caught suddenly in a realm of mental surrender, one might turn to the unthinkable. Loss of complete control and reasoning ability qualifies that individual as temporarily insane.
The vast majority of those who develop temporary insanity do not commit unspeakable acts. However, the crimes in which murder, abuse, or torture is involved do follow the above mentioned process. No matter how hard we try to deny that these faults exist within us, the hard truth is they do. We all have these emotions and consequently are responsible for the probable reactions that take place.
Mental illness, as illustrated, is something we all clearly possess at times. The concerning factors are the extent and effect it may have. Different forms of violence are often the end result to periodic human breakdowns. All people have experienced an altered state of mind which can also be labeled as temporary insanity or simply a mental break.
The only thing one can presume is that all human beings bear a predisposition to deep seeded mental illness.
