Theorized historical causes of mental illness and associated treatments

George Bernard Shaw

Research Paper

As we have discussed, the way in which one conceptualizes the cause of mental illness necessarily dictates the form of the intervention. If the prevailing world view is that mental illness is caused by malevolent spirits rattling around in a person’s skull, sharpen up your stones and prepare for the trepanning. If everyone knows that mental illness is at root caused by bad blood, schedule an appointment with the town Barber and his friendly leeches. If you are diagnosed by a psychiatrist in the twenty-first century with unipolar-depression, you are likely to find yourself talking to your pharmacist about the possible side effects of drugs designed to increase your levels of serotonin and nor-epinephrine.

Your assignment for this paper is to choose a disorder from the DSM5 and research the theorized historical causes and associated treatments culminating with the most modern understanding of the causal mechanisms of the disorder and associated treatment approaches. Utilize the relevant major theoretical schools of thought in the field of Psychology and Psychiatry, making use of both psychogenic and somatic causal explanations and treatment approaches where appropriate.

The paper is to be 6-7 pages in length and follow APA standards. Please provide at least two references other than our textbook or the DSM 5. The paper is due on the day of the final.