Mental disorders are classified as psychological conditions marked primarily by sufficient disorganization of personality, mind, and emotions to seriously impair the normal psychological and often social functioning of the individual. The DSM-5-TR defines mental disorders as syndromes arising from dysfunction in relevant biopsychosocial processes that results in significant disturbances in behavioral responses, emotional regulation, and other cognitive processes. Mental disorders may consist of several affective, behavioral, cognitive and perceptual components, and may impede the individual from functioning normally in society. The acknowledgement and understanding of mental health conditions have changed over time and across cultures; however, stigmatization still persists. There are also significant discrepancies in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders across various social, racial and gender groups. There are still variations in the definition, classification, and treatment of mental disorders.
History As society's attitudes towards mental illnesses have substantially changed throughout the years, so have the methods of treatment. Many early treatments for mental illness have since been deemed ineffective and even dangerous. Some of these earlier treatments included trephination and bloodletting. Trephination refers to the process of drilling a small hole into the patient's skull in an attempt to 'let out demons', reflecting an earlier religious and cultural belief that mental disorders were demonic in nature. Bloodletting is when a certain amount of blood is drained out of a person due to the belief that chemical imbalances result in mental disorders. Both treatments were dangerous and ineffective. Similarly, herbs and sexual abstinence were frequently prescribed to women for cases of hysteria as this was believed to be an exclusively female disease until Freud. During the 17th century, however, it became common for individuals with mental disorders to be locked away in institutions due to a lack of knowledgeable treatment options. Mental institutions became the main treatment for a long period of time. Through years of research and medical developments, safe and effective treatments both psychologically and pharmacologically have become available to patients. Early glimpses of the treatment of mental illness included dunking in cold water by Samuel Willard (physician), who reportedly established the first American hospital for mental illness. The history of treatment of mental disorders consists of a development through years, mainly in both psychotherapy (Cognitive therapy, Behavior therapy, Group Therapy, and ECT) and psychopharmacology (drugs used in mental disorders). Different perspectives on the causes of psychological disorders also continued to arise. Some scholars believed that psychological disorders are caused by specific abnormalities of the brain and nervous system. This perspective reflected the principle that they should be approached for treatment in the same way as physical illness, a belief that initially arose from Hippocrates. Psychotherapy is a relatively new method used in the treatment of mental disorders. The practice of individual psychotherapy as a treatment of mental disorders is about 100 years old. Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) was the first to introduce this concept in psychoanalysis. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a more recent therapy that was founded in the 1960s by Aaron T. Beck, an American psychiatrist. It is a more systematic and structured part of psychotherapy. It consists of helping the patient learn effective ways to overcome their problems and difficulties that cause them distress. Behavior therapy has its roots in experimental psychology. E.L. Thorndike and B.F. Skinner was among the first to work on behavior therapy. Convulsive therapy was introduced by Ladislas Meduna in 1934. He induced seizures through a series of injections as a means to attempt to treat schizophrenia. Meanwhile, in Italy, Ugo Cerletti substituted injections with electricity. Because of this substitution, the new theory was called electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Besides psychotherapy, a wide range of medications are used in the treatment of mental disorders. The first drugs used for this purpose were extracted from plants with psychoactive properties. Louis Lewin, in 1924, was the first to introduce a classification of drugs and plants that had properties of this kind. The history of the medications used in mental disorders has developed a lot over the years. The discovery of modern drugs prevailed during the 20th century. Lithium, a mood stabilizer, was discovered as a treatment of mania by John F. Cade in 1949, and Hammond (1871) used lithium bromide for 'acute mania with depression'". In 1937, Daniel Bovet and Anne-Marie Staub discovered the first antihistamine. In 1951, Paul Charpentier synthesized chlorpromazine an antipsychotic.
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