How did mental hospitals originate?
The Egyptians, being very self aware believed that those who were mentally afflicted were magical, or receiving messages from the gods. It is here that we find the first mental health institution in the form of a temple and the first mental health doctors and treatments. Opium and sleep treatment were often first choices for treatment as the Egyptians were fixated on death and the afterlife and believed the mentally ill were somehow tapped into that spiritual aspect. As the concept of a single God came with Judaism mental illness left the realm of magical and became more of a religious problem. That the afflicted were dealing with guilt issues over how they were living their lives and not pleasing God. It is widely believed that it was during this time in history that organized religion weaved into doctrine that those who were mentally ill were out of favor with God. Hence some of the shame and secrecy that still surrounds this issue. With Islam came a view of the mentally ill that the
