A Look at the History of Psychiatry Purpose: A review of early practices in the treatment of mental illnesses. Objectives: 1. Identify early treatments and protocols documented throughout history.2. Understand historical stigmas and terminology related to mental illness.3. Awareness of advances in the treatment of the mentally ill. The earliest known history of psychiatry. Archaeologists found that unearthed skulls dating back to 6500 BC had large holes drilled into the sides. (1) The purpose of the drilling was to release the demonic spirits that ruled within these unfortunate beings. (2) At the time, strange, destructive, or inexplicable behaviors exhibited by individuals were thought to be a direct result of demons controlling the person's soul. These behaviors were not seen as a medical condition of any kind, but primarily related to poor morals. There are biblical references that Jesus casts out devils from those who demonstrate irrational or crazy behavior. Of course there are also biblical references describing manic behavior that even Jesus healed and those individuals were thought to simply be sick. The term used to describe this surgical procedure is trepanation or trepanation. Burr puncture has also been reported. Trepanation is believed to be the oldest surgical procedure performed that can be validated by archaeologists. (1) It is also thought to be the first attempt to repress undisciplined or deviant behavior. Mental illness was unheard of in this era. The prevailing thought at the time was that these individuals were ruled by evil spirits. Hippocrates advocated trepanation, writing explicit instructions on how to perform the surgery. This d...... half of the document ......rving, Jenni. 1 May 2013 www.Ancient.eu.com 1 May 2013 Trefinazione2. Brothwell, Don R., (1963) Bone digging, excavation, treatment and study of human skeletal remains. London British Museum of Natural History.3.. Arnott, Robert, Finger, Stanley, Smith,Chris (2005 ) History, discovery, theory of trepanation Taylor & Francis and Library.4 Shorter, Edward. (1997) A History of Psychiatry: From the Asylum Era to the Prozac Era John Wiley & Sons, Inc. USA3.5. DesRochers, Alyssa March 29, 2012, www.Siarchives.si.edu6. Tuchmann, Barbara. (1978) A Distant Mirror: A Calamitous 14th Century Random House Publishing.7. Roth, Martin. & Kroll, Jerome (1986) The reality of mental illness. Cambridge University Press8. Szasz, Thomas. (1974) The Myth of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct Harper Paperback, New York, NY