Knowing the history of how mental health was understood and treated is an important part of understanding how the general public’s understanding of it has changed or stayed the same. This is also good because it allows us the ability to see where certain stigmas towards mental health may have come from. In the Wellcome Collection there is a clinical psychiatric journal from the 1800’s titled Clinical Lectures on Mental Diseases by T. S. Clouston. This journal included different types of mental disorders that were common or known during this time period, and gave a description of their symptoms and possible treatments. The thing that stood out the most to me was the language that was used to describe some of these disorders, and even some of the disorders themselves. In the table of contents there is a list of the major disorders that will be addressed. Some examples are traumatic insanity, alcoholic insanity, pregnancy insanity, the insanities of puberty and adolescence are just to name a few. These are not all of the disorders listed, and they are not the only disorders with the word ‘insanity’ used. Actually the majority of the disorders listed use insanity as a way to describe them. Even the category under depression that does not use insane in the name, does use it in describing a symptom of depression. “No distinct line between the sane and insane melancholy. Often is prelude to severe varieties, or to other forms of insanity, (Clouston 26).” It should also be noted that the current DSM5 does not use the word insane/insanity as a diagnosis. This is likely because the word insanity has a negative connotation, which depicts mentality ill people as out of control and not ‘normal.’ It is a degrading word and is not a useful way to diagnose people. The frequent use of insanity in the Clinical Lectures on Mental Diseases gives the reader some understanding of how people with mental disorders must have been viewed during this time period. It was frowned upon to be anything other than ‘normal’ and this journal is further evidence to show this society’s need for people to be a certain way and hold the same beliefs. This is shown even further by some of the things that were considered disorders back then, which are not in the DSM5. Such as insanity of masturbation, which for one only talks about boys, but also is claiming that sexual eurges and feelings are wrong and even evil. There is definitely much more that could be said about this journal, but these are just some things that I found interesting and reflect how mental illness was seen during the 1800’s.
