History of Mental Illness Treatment

Early attempts at a medical or scientific treatment of major mental disorders included treatments such as the induction of malaria so that the resulting fever might decrease symptoms of neuro-syphilis, the use of insulin and electroshock causing convulsions to treat schizophrenia, and psychosurgery, including prefrontal lobotomies, to treat violent patients.

Review your assigned reading for this module or look for other scholarly material related to this topic on the Internet. Then, write a position paper on the history of medical treatment of mental illness from a historical perspective. In your paper, include responses to the following questions:

• Has medical treatment impacted the stigma of mental illness?

• Has medication replaced psychotherapy as the primary intervention?

Address your own opinions and biases regarding the use of medication as a routine treatment for mental disorders in modern mental health practice and evaluate the dynamic interactions that occur between drugs and behavior.

Create the paper in a 2-3 page Microsoft Word document and follow APA guidelines.