how did people in the middle ages view people with mental illnesses?
100091
definitely demon posessed.\n\na lot of our mental patients today have demon posession.  but since the world insists that there are no demons, they just write them off as nut cases, dope them up and send them to a state mental ward.
963879
My daughter has a boy friend who has a form of Schizophrenia, you can not really tell by just looking, in his case when he gets worked up, stressed he starts to panic and gets scared of every thing that is normal to him, he scared to get on a train or to go out side like normally he would, luckily for him he knows what is happening and he go himself to the hospital where he is treated mainly by rest and some calming drugs . He does not get violent. So I would say any one who has it would start to have a character change, depending on the gravity of their illness, as for the suffering I do not think you can tell how much it is , you can not tell how much some one suffers when they have a migraine but I am sure they do.
138301
To better understand the mechanics of human thought. Map the psyche. Study the social/mental operation of society. Differentiate between mental illness and psychosis. The list goes on and on.
364530
My sister is a psychiatrist.  Really, the only people that treat her any differently from anyone else are usually people who aren't terribly educated themselves.  Psychiatrists are simply physicians who specialize in diseases and conditions of the brain, as opposed to other areas of the body.
882172
That's strange because when I look at recent history in Asia there is plenty of reason to have psychiatric problems. I think it is because the family unit is very strong in Asia.
328099
maybe depression, or any mental illness, cant really be cured, like a broken bone. maybe mental illness will always be like alcoholism or substance abuse- under control but still there.
309367
Yes they do have an illness that makes them think they are ill all the time. It's a form of obsessive behaviour and is a mental illness.
455402
Assuming you are not some kind of fanatic, you might find it interesting to look into the work of Thomas Szasz and R.D. Laing.  These two took a radical view of psychiatry, psychology, and mental health in general that strongly criticized the medical model applied in these fields.  They believe that mental illness is a cultural construct rather than a disease, and that psychiatrists essentially practice a poorly conceived form of mind control intended to pacify social deviants.  As I said, they were radicals and never attracted many adherents among mental health professionals.  But their ideas were plausible at least, and they should be read by anyone with a serious interest in the theory and practice of mental illness treatment.\n\nAlso assuming you are not a crank, you might take note of the fact that millions of people have been helped by psychiatric pharmacotherapy, beginning with Thorazine, Haldol, tricyclic and MAO inhibitor antidepressants, and other side effect-ridden agents, on up to the current generation of SSRI's (e.g. Zoloft), atypical antipsychotic agents (e.g. Zyprexa), and mood stabilizers (e.g. Depakote and Klonopin) which are more effective and produce fewer side effects than earlier medications.  \n\nThere is at least one valid criticism of current psychiatric practice, and that is that it relies exclusively on biological models and treatment methods for mental illness.    Most psychiatrists today do little more than monitor their patients' medication(s).  They have relegated "talk" therapy to psychologists and social workers, who are also able to achieve good results with millions of people whose problems cannot be and are not solved completely by medications.\n\nI think you are probably a crank though.  Slow down, take it easy, and do some reading.  You don't need to be fighting a war.
199812
It can apply to the Ottoman Empire, but also UK. Ireland, Italy, Germany. I don't know the context you're looking for, so check these sites:\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sick_man_of_Europe\nhttp://www.britannica.com/ebi/article-206012\nhttp://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,6903,1113142,00.html
586070
"Mental illness" is much to broad a term for an answer to be possible.  Some indeed may have a higher, rather than lower, level of consciousness than so-called normal people.  You never know, do you?  Not really.  You cannot know what is going on in anyone else's mind, and psychology does not gain my trust when it pretends it does know.
876586
I think Before it was middle ages and after Renaissance.\nThat means (to me) that people just change from surviving (wars, hunger...) to enjoying (arts).
243142
It depends on the sect.  Some still don't believe it and chalk it up to demonic possession.  But most see it for what it is, an illness that needs proper treatment.
1148522
Yes.  But only in specific cases with certain illnesses.  I don't want to hear that crap about road rage or whatever the fancy name is nowadays.  Schizophrenia?  Absolutely.  That is a severe mental disorder where your perception of reality is extremely disoriented.  Depression?  Hell no.  Everyone gets depressed.  I was diagnosed with depression (bipolar actually) several years back.  Am I bipolar.  Nope.  It was my life situation that gave me the symtoms. Am I depressed now? Nope.  The only symptom I have is social anxiety.  Is that a reason to commit a crime?  Hell no. I know what is right and what is wrong.   However, when you have schizophrenia, autism, brain damage, or retardation, you don't always understand. Your perception of reality is very skewed, and nine times out of ten, you don't understand the wrongness of your actions, neither the consequnces.
407205
physical appearance, personal beliefs, and history
1163985
Being a priest in the middle ages wasn't what we consider it now.  It was mostly a politcial position bought for second sons.  Like being a politician today there were some people that took their job seriously, and then there were the people who were spoiled and corrupt.  There was almost no accountablity, so those that broke the Church's rules paid their way out if they got into trouble, or did what they wanted.  The widespread corruption was what eventually lead to the breaking of Church authority.
1069690
I'll give you my view as a psychologist: the label of 'mentally ill' is just as subjective as the norms themselves! I mean, who decides what the norm will be anyway? And therefore, who can decide what is normal and what's beyond normal? The social norm is subject to culture, era, tradition, religion, etc. The only norm that can be considered somewhat objective is each person's norm; either his norm for himself, or his norm for evaluating external events. And that is formed by his own life experiences and other personal variables. For example, if your mother has a psychotic personality and your father frequently expresses neurotic symptoms, it will be absolutely normal for you to form a borderline-like behaviour system!
325318
Everyone has their own interpretation of normal, and there are also standards - unwritten but more developed over a period of time, based on religion, morals, ethics, and more commonly, judgemental people who decide that their way(s) is/are normal, and others who don't conform to their way of living are not normal.  There are also social and psychological "norms" that define "different" or abnormal behavior.