Program Contents: 51 minutes
Captioning: None
Copyright Date: 2001
Available in the United States Only
GLOBAL HISTORY ON MENTAL ILLNESS TREATMENT
In the past, there was no such thing as mental illness, only madness. Its treatment was often indistinguishable from torture or murder. This program follows the long, often grim road towards understanding and treating mental illness in western societies.
Through testimonials, original manuscripts, photos, and extensive footage from medical archives, leading doctors and medical historians trace the history of asylums, the development of psychoanalysis, electroconvulsive therapy, and the rise of psychopharmacology. The program also details the once widespread use of phrenology, lobotomy, and lobotomy's ancient precursor, trepanning.
Part of Kill or Cure: A History of Medical Treatment Series