Addiction In The 18th Century

In the past, addiction was not perceived the way it is today. Addiction was not considered to be a disease, but instead a moral defect in the individual. Addiction was viewed through religious and/or cultural beliefs as opposed to being looked at scientifically (Stein and Santos, 1998). All around the world, individuals suffering from addictive behaviours were mistreated due to the lack of education available in regards to mental illnesses. The stories of how our ancestors perceived and treated mental illness in the past is both repulsive and inhumane. Years ago, an abundance of skulls were found in Eastern Mediterranean and North African countries. Today, they are believed to be the result of trephination due to addictive behaviours and other …show more content…
In ancient Greece, they were convinced addictive behaviours were brought upon an individual through the wrath of angry gods (Stein and Santos, 1998). As a result, these individuals were severely abused. Although those who suffered from milder forms of addictive behaviours were able to keep their freedom, they would live the remainder of their lives poorly treated with contempt and humiliation (Stein and Santos, 1998). In Europe, “people thought mental illness had supernatural causes and was associated with demonic or divine possession” (Stein and Santos,1998, p.6). Due to these perceptions, these individuals would be hung, burned, tortured, or decapitated (Stein and Santos, 1998). As you may guess, these tactics were not successful in the attempt to reverse these behaviours. Our ancestors were uneducated in what addiction is, therefore unable to properly treat it. As the years progressed, the idea of mental illnesses continued to transform. As the 17th century rolled around, society believed addiction was an “impaired physical state self-inflicted through excess of passion” (Stein and Santos, 1998, …show more content…
Tuke followed in the footsteps of Pinel, as well as encouraged the individuals to work within the society to the extent that they could (Stein and Santos, 1998). “The approach developed by Pinel and Tuke became known as “moral treatment” (Stein and Santos, 1998, p.8). They changed the once harsh views of mental health, and converted these so called moral defects into medical patients instead. This began the new era of mental health. It caught on and before they knew it, psychiatric institutions were being built. From there, doctors attempted to “explain mental illness as a result of disease and/or damage to the brain” (Canadian Mental Health Association 1963, p. 2). Although in the past there was no legal action against the way society treated individuals with addictive behaviours, the work of these two men initiated the beginning process of making new laws around the world. This now leads us to the laws and treatments that have been put in place today regarding individuals who struggle with addictive