Psychiatrist: The Human Mind Helper In ancient times, a superstition was once believed by humans that erratic behavior was the possession of spiritually evil demons, that only wizardry or sorcery could mend and cure the mentally ill. In 1808, a man named Professor Johann Christian Reil developed a new medicine field called Psychiatry, meaning the soul or mind. Eventually, the physicians practicing this medical field were known as Psychiatrist (“History of Psychiatry”). As time passed, the field started to evolve and the knowledge expanded becoming one of the oldest medical fields still existing today (“Psychiatrist – DO/MD”). Psychiatrists are medical doctors who are experts at preventing and treating psychological illnesses such as mental disorders. A Psychiatrist is a significant aspect to the medical field because they gain insight into the human mind, specialize in varieties of mental disorders, and help humans overcome internal problems. As a Psychiatrist, they are to proficiently understand the function of the human mind to be able to penetrate into their patient’s thoughts and feelings. These medical doctors are required to spend approximately twelve years gaining a better insight into the complex structure of the brain. They are trained to understand how specific sections of the brain work together to achieve varieties of functions and how a mutation can cause a severe malfunction (Zorumski and Rubin). As a result of the years spent training, Psychiatrists are to differentiate and categorize physical and psychosomatic stress caused by chemical changes in the special parts of the brain. Psychiatrists are also trained to use neurotic technologies such as deep brain stimulation. Additionally, the medical doctors are equi... ... middle of paper ... ...eb. . “Sample Career Path”. Careercruising.com. 24 March 2014. Web. . “University of Michigan – Ann Arbor”. Rankingsandreviews.com. 24 March 2014. Web. 2014. . “What is a Psychiatrist”. Psychiatry.org. 18 March 2014. Web. 2014. . “Working Conditions”. Careercruising.com. 18 March 2014. Web. . Zorumski and Rubin. “Demystifying Psychiatry”. Psychologytoday.com. 20 March 2014. Web. 1991-2014. < http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/demystifying-psychiatry/201006/the-human-brain-connectome-and-psychiatry>.
A physician has an unenviable position; he is closest to man approaching a god-like stature. And despite the demise of 'doctor knows best', we still need to trust his diagnosis-something that is increasingly difficult in a world where information is widely available, and Google substitutes for a doctor. In the case of psychiatry the issue of trust is amplified since diagnosis is based on a patient's expressed thoughts and overt behaviours rather than solely on biological phenomena. And these thoughts and behaviours are influenced by the patient's environment-a mix of his social, cultural and technological experiences.
Madness: A History, a film by the Films Media Group, is the final installment of a five part series, Kill or Cure: A History of Medical Treatment. It presents a history of the medical science community and it’s relationship with those who suffer from mental illness. The program uses original manuscripts, photos, testimonials, and video footage from medical archives, detailing the historical progression of doctors and scientists’ understanding and treatment of mental illness. The film compares and contrasts the techniques utilized today, with the methods of the past. The film offers an often grim and disturbing recounting of the road we’ve taken from madness to illness.
Mental illness has been around as long as people have been. However, the movement really started in the 19th century during industrialization. The Western countries saw an immense increase in the number and size of insane asylums, during what was known as “the great confinement” or the “asylum era” (Torrey, Stieber, Ezekiel, Wolfe, Sharfstein, Noble, Flynn Criminalizing the Seriously Mentally Ill). Laws were starting to be made to pressure authorities to face the people who were deemed insane by family members and hospital administrators. Because of the overpopulation in the institutions, treatment became more impersonal and had a complex mix of mental and social-economic problems. During this time the term “psychiatry” was identified as the medical specialty for the people who had the job as asylum superintendents. These superintendents assumed managerial roles in asylums for people who were considered “alienated” from society; people with less serious conditions wer...
Through my extensive research on depression I have learned a lot of new things. I have learned about the many forms of depression and treatment for depression. I have also learned a little about what is believed to go on chemically in the brain of a clinically depressed person. I was also able to partially determine what sort of role genetics, chemicals and personal influences in the brain. Though I was unable to determine exactly how environmental and personal stress can cause a chemical imbalance in a person, I was even able to speculate about this issue and determine some theories of my own on why and how this may happen.
The biological approach assumes that all behaviour, including mental illnesses, has physiological causes in the same way that physical illnesses have physical causes. Abnormal behaviour may be caused because the brain is damaged or because the brain is not functioning properly. The biological approach assumes that mental illnesses can be caused by chemical imbalance in the brain or by genetic disorders. The biological approach assumes that psychological illnesses, just like physical illnesses, have recognisable symptoms that can be categorised. Finally, the biological approach assumes that mental illness can be treated medically. One type of therapy is Psychosurgery. This is an invasive medical treatment that involves the deliberate destruction of tiny amounts of brain tissue in order to treat mental illnesses such as clinical depression. The aim of psychosurgery is to interrupt the brain
“To study the abnormal is the best way to study the normal” (William James). Psychiatrists never give up on any of their patients and always help anyone who asks for it. Psychiatrists have a never ending work schedule. Sometimes their patients call them even without an appointment because they are really struggling and they have to go talk to them. Psychiatrists also have to get at least eight years of school and an additional three or more years of an internship (“Career Information Center” 142- 43) . Psychiatrist must also have good communication skills. If they do not then their patient will feel like they do not care about them and they are not listening and the psychiatrists will be putting even more pain and pressure on them (Social Skills Training) . Even though psychiatrists must go through many years of school and training, all of their hard work is pays off knowing that they help people every day.
The knowledge of mental illness was very small. Doctors did not understand how to diagnosis or treat mental disorders. They did not understand how the brain functioned and what to expect from people in certain situations. Many symptoms of physical illness today were considered mental illness in the eighteenth century. The constant shaking due to Parkinson’s disease was misinterpreted as a mental condition and treated as such4. These patients were placed into...
The treatment of the mentally ill started back in the far past. In 400 BC, Hippocrates, who was a Greek physician, treated mental illness as diseases of disturbed physiology, and not displeasure of the Gods or demonic possession ("Timeline: Treatments for," ). Greek medical writers found treatments such as quiet, occupation, and the use of a drug called purgative hellebore ("Timeline: Treatments for,”). During these times, family members took care of the mentally ill ("Timeline: Treatments for,”). In the middle Ages, the Europeans let the mentally ill have their freedom, as long as they were not dangerous ("Timeline: Treatments for,”). The mentally ill were also seen as witches who were possessed by demons ("Timeline: Treatments for,”). In 1407, the first mental illness establishment was made in Valencia, Spain ("Timeline: Treatments for,”).
Throughout history, explanations for mental illness have been described as supernatural, psychological, and biological. Prior to the early Greek physicians, the supernatural model of mental illness prevailed. Early humans did not have science to explain natural events so magic, mysticism, and superstition were used as a substitution. They believed in animism, the idea that all of nature is alive, and anthropomorphism, the tendency to project human features onto nature. Reification was also a popular belief that assumed if you can think of something, it exists. Sympathetic magic was the idea that one can heal and individual by influencing an object that is similar or closely associated to them (Frazer, 1890/1963). Primitive healers would often imitate the patient's ailments and then model the recovery. Reification also lead to the bel...
Mental illnesses have been reported as far back as to 4000-5000 years ago. The reason scientists believe that mental illness has existed this long is due to anthropologists finding skulls with holes gashed in them. These skulls look very similar to skulls that have had the process of trepanning performed on them. The process of trepanning is simply the surgical procedure of creating a hole in the skull. Scientists believe that this procedure was done in order to let out the evil spirits which doctors thought possessed the mentally ill of this time. The literature of ancient Greece also contains evidence of the belief that evil spirits or demons controlled the mentally ill. Not only the Greeks believed in the evil spirit theory, writings from the early Babylonian, Egyptian, and Chinese civilizations have also shown evidence that mental illness was believed to be a possession by demons-using beatings, restraint, and starvation to try to drive out the evil spirits.
Freud also was a medical doctor that specialized in the treatment of nervous disorder also known as neuroses. His main focus was that of psychoanalysis. He was also the first person to map out the entire subconscious geography of the human psych. Through his studies, he concluded that disordered thinking was the result of fears experienced in childhood. These disorders can range from hysteria, anxiety, depression, and obsession. Through his studies, he argued that neurotic behaviors had to be treated by bringing childhood experiences to the surface and confront them.
Bio-Psychologists study the principles of biology as it relates to the comprehension of psychology in the field neuroscience that underlies ones emotions, ideology, and actions (Brittanica). Based upon the conduction of research, the relationship between the brain and ones behavior extends to the physiological process in one’s intellect. Scientists are cognizant that neurotransmitters function as a significant role in mood regulation and other aspects of psychological problems including depression and anxiety. A biological perspective are relevant to psychology in three techniques including: the comparative method, physiology, and the investigation of inheritance (Saul Mc. Leod).
Introduction Psychiatry is a very specific and highly specialized occupation in the medical and psychological realm. Psychiatrists are both a doctor and a psychologist; psychiatrists have to go through medical school and, therefore, administer medication to the mentally ill, but they also counsel them. Thus, they are an interesting discourse community to look at and they have a very distinct discourse. In the discourse community of Psychiatrists, there are many forms of the genre such as journals, websites, and associations that are found to keep communication between them.
Neuropsychology is a branch of general psychology that is concerned with how the brain and the rest of the nervous system influence cognition and behavior. Professionals in this branch make it a goal to understand of how the brain influences cognitive functions and behavior. In fact, modern neuropsychology has roots that began in the 19th century. During this time, some of the first neuropsychologists studied animals and humans with brain and nervous system injuries. The significance of neuropsychology is subject to urgent brain trauma, which could cause complete loss of functionality of the body. The study of neuropsychology helps doctors understand how brain malfunctions occur.
Mental illness, today we are surround by a broad array of types of mental illnesses and new discoveries in this field every day. Up till the mid 1800’s there was no speak of personality disorder, in fact there was only two type of mental illness recognized. Those two illnesses as defined by Dr. Sam Vaknin (2010), “”delirium” or “manial”- were depression (melancholy), psychoses, and delusions.” It was later in 1835 when J. C. Pritchard the British Physician working at Bristol Infirmary Hospital published his work titled “Treatise on Insanity and Other Disorder of the Mind” this opened the door to the world of personality disorder. There were many story and changes to his theories and mental illness and it was then when Henry Maudsley in 1885 put theses theories to work and applied to a patient. This form of mental illness has since grown into the many different types of personality disorder that we know today. Like the evolution of the illness itself there has been a significant change in the way this illness is diagnosed and treated.