Mental health is integral to a person’s overall physical and psychological well-being. However, throughout history, people’s attitudes to mental health have changed many times.
In ancient times, mental disorders were often associated with religious beliefs and attributed to the intervention of deities or spirits. In the Middle Ages, there was also the opinion that mental disorders were a punishment for sins or a consequence of turning to impure forces. In this case, the treatment of mental disorders was reduced to religious rituals and expulsion of spirits from the human body.
With the development of science and medicine, the approach to mental health became more rational. In the eighteenth century, psychiatric hospitals were opened where people with mental disorders were offered treatment. However, the conditions in these hospitals were often non-human, and the treatment itself was based on the use of physical methods such as executions, electroshocks, and cold water washes.
With the development of psychology and psychiatry, more human-centered approaches to the treatment of mental disorders began to emerge by the end of the nineteenth century. New treatments, such as psychoanalysis and psychotherapy, were developed and became more effective methods.
By the end of the twentieth century, people’s attitudes toward mental health had become more serious and socially oriented. Stigmatization and stigmatizing attitudes toward people with mental disorders had receded into the background, and the creation of conditions for people with mental disorders to live fulfilling lives came to the fore.
Contemporary attitudes toward mental health are characterized by a desire for equality of opportunity and respect for diversity. People with mental disorders now have access to a wide range of specialized services, including psychiatric care, psychotherapy and medication. Society has also begun to recognize the importance of preventing mental disorders and caring for mental health. Campaigns began to appear to create psychological support for people who were experiencing stress or mental health difficulties. Nowadays, many companies and organizations already provide their employees with psychological help and a variety of workshops to improve mental health.
Today, mental health has also become a major topic of discussion in public discourse. Many famous people speak openly about their mental health problems and strive to help reduce the stigma around this topic. This all helps to make people more aware of their mental health and start seeking help sooner than they used to. Stigma about mental disorders and mental health problems becomes less pronounced, and people become more open to discussing these topics and seeking support from professionals.
In general, people’s attitudes toward mental health have changed significantly throughout history. With the development of science and medicine, the approach to treating mental disorders has become more rational and human-centered.
In recent years, many mental health-related startups have sprung up around the world. Development teams are striving to solve various mental health problems and create new ways to help people with mental disorders. For example, there are startups that develop mobile apps for online therapy and psychological help, as well as services for social support for people with mental disorders.
Startups related to mental health are also working to develop new technologies to diagnose and treat mental disorders such as depression, anxiolytic disorder, and panic attacks. For example, some startups are developing new drugs to treat depression, while others are developing technology for use in combination therapies that include both medication and psychotherapy. (Read also: mental health startup Berlin)
Some startups are also developing technology to increase awareness and improve mental health through the use of meditation, hypnosis and other techniques. There are also startups that are developing technology for online depression testing.
