A mental illness is any of various conditions characterized by an impairment in an individual's normal cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning and caused by racial, psychological, biochemical, genetic factors or others, such as infection or head trauma. The history of mental illness dates back to 5,000 BCE, and our thinking and knowledge are very different. Back then, they didn't have the same knowledge about diseases that we have today. When you think of mental illness, you may think of something entirely different from what the word actually means. There are several disorders that people suffer from mental illness. But back then, if you didn't seem quite normal or if you were different, you were diagnosed with a mental illness. Attempts to treat mental illness date back to 5,000 BCE (Before the Common Era). Early humans firmly believed that mental illness was associated with supernatural phenomena such as spiritual or demonic possession, witchcraft, the evil eye, or an angry deity and thus responded with equally mystical and sometimes brutal treatments. The word trepanation, also known as trepanation, first appeared in Neolithic times. During this procedure, they carved the skull using raw stone implements. They believed that through this opening, the evil spirits suspected of being in the head and at the origin of their psychopathology would be released and that the affected person would suddenly be healed. Some people who underwent this harsh procedure lived for many years, but others died very suddenly, later as trephined skulls of primitive humans showing signs of healing. Today we have medications that relieve our pain, so for someone to undergo a procedure...... middle of paper ...... Mentally ill people were said to have a "bad fate" and that they had a negative influence, which is why the family would have abandoned them. People actually thought mental illness was contagious. Things have changed over time in history, some for the better and some for the worse, but we have to think that if someone hadn't started somewhere to try to heal, where would we be- Today, we have to start somewhere. I find it interesting how long ago people were diagnosed or classified as mentally ill. Yes, the things done to the mentally ill were bad, but you have to say that they did not have the education or the knowledge that we have today. We are very fortunate today to have the education that we are able to receive, because they did not have the opportunities that we have today. So I hope I have given you some insight into the history of mental illness. Things have really changed over time.