The mental health of women has ancient roots

In ancient societies, such as the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian ones, mental illnesses were frequently linked to supernatural or divine origins. It was standard practice to perform "treatments" including bloodletting, purging, exorcism, and trepanation in an attempt to drive out bad spirits. As medical knowledge grew throughout time, traditional healers searched for more rational, scientific answers for patient complaints. However, several antiquated practices persisted, especially with regard to women and people of other oppressed genders. Although the exact origin of the name is still unknown, most people believe Hippocrates did it around the fifth century. Hippocrates did write a great deal about the "disorder," whether or not he popularized it. He described hysteria as "a restless and migratory uterus" brought on by "poisonous stagnant humors." He believed that the agitated uterus "not only produces toxic fumes but also takes to wandering around the body, causing various disorders such as anxiety, sense of suffocation, tremors, and sometimes convulsions and paralysis." Although hysteria would be the first mental illness linked to these kinds of "treatments," it wouldn't be the last. Throughout history, there has been a connection between women's mental health and sex and sexuality. Some claim that this mindset still exists now.

The mental health of women during the Medieval Ages 

Women who suffered from mental illnesses or their symptoms were often persecuted and accused of being witches during the Middle Ages. Treatment for female mental illness eventually came to be associated almost completely with the woman's body and was associated with witchcraft, sorcery, and demonic possession. In the event that she had indications of a mental illness and was not suspected of practicing witchcraft, the local doctor would probably administer the standard medical care for hysteria.Some advances in our understanding of mental health occurred during the Enlightenment, including a rejection of the notion that mental health disorders are inextricably linked to sorcery or witchcraft. In the late Renaissance, scientists also started to express concern about the notion that hysteria was an issue with the uterus. Hysteria was linked less to the uterus and more to the nerve system during the 18th century.But women's experiences remained neglected, and hysteria was still classified as a disorder exclusive to non-male individuals. As a result, the therapies didn't really change. For instance, Victorian women were advised to use smelling salts to cure symptoms like fainting spells and other emotional behavior, just as foul-smelling potions and plants were used to treat hysterical symptoms in ancient Greece. Treatment included a lot of sex and climax, much like in earlier ages. In order to cure emotional difficulties or signs of mental disease, Victorian doctors employed devices (the earliest vibrators) and pelvic floor massage to "stimulate" the uterus and cause "hysterical paroxysms."

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Perspectives from the modern era on women's mental health

Views on women's mental health gradually shifted in the 19th and 20th centuries, partly due to the emergence of women as mental health specialists in their own right. Mary Whiton Calkins is among the most eminent instances. She finished her PhD study and defended her psychology thesis at Harvard University in 1901, yet she never received her degree because women were not then formally admitted to Harvard. Later, in 1905, she was elected as the American Psychological Association's first female president. Around this time, scientists started to say that hysteria wasn't just a female problem, which ultimately helped a more rational perspective win out. The gap between men's and women's mental health started to close as more researchers discovered that there seemed to be little to no physiological difference between men and women regarding the neurological causes of mental health conditions. Researchers also started to study other mental health conditions that affect women, such as postpartum depression (which can affect people of any gender). Additionally, around this time, researchers started to utilize concepts from transcultural psychiatry, which facilitated a deeper comprehension of the influence of an individual's surroundings on their mental well-being. Increased support for women's mental health followed the early 20th century women's suffrage movement. However, there remained a great deal of ignorance and misunderstanding regarding the most appropriate treatment for women, and harmful, ineffectual procedures like forced sterilization, institutionalization, and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) continued to be widely used. The feminist movement brought attention to women's mental health in a new, socially conscious light in the 1960s and 1970s, which led to a closer look at the part that gender discrimination plays in this. Psychiatry has moved toward greater knowledge and quantitative, evidence-based therapies by include women in drug and therapy research trials.

How the past has affected women's mental health today: Advancement and obstacles

Growing awareness of the significance of taking intersectionality into account while examining women's mental health has emerged in recent decades. The concept of intersectionality recognizes that experiences with mental health are shaped by a variety of characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other identities. This viewpoint highlights how important it is to provide mental healthcare in a way that is inclusive and culturally aware.

There is access to modern mental health services for women.

Start working with a virtual counselor now. The function of virtual counselingThe relative widespread appeal of internet therapy, which enables more women and people of other genders to overcome treatment barriers typically associated with conventional therapy, is one of the breakthroughs that technology has brought about in recent years. For instance, virtual therapy enables people to communicate by phone, video chat, in-app messaging, or other means with a qualified mental health professional from the comfort of their own home or anyplace with an internet connection.