# data[].attributes.body
This inquiry will review the contributing factors of and treatments for mental illnesses in the 16th century.

# data[].attributes.body
The psychiatrists and psychologists didn't require their patient  to lay on a couch and tell them about their  problems, thoughts, and feelings in Shakespearean time. If someone was insane, they were sent to the priest.  According to Psychology Wiki, insanity, depending on the category, was believed to be the work of the devil. If one was classified as 'mad', a priest would usually  be brought in to cleanse their body spiritually and forgive their sins.

# data[].attributes.body
Although the most common assumption for insanity was based off of demonic work, there were multiple signs that someone could be mad. Since in this time didn't have the technology to perform neurological testing, It was all based on asking questions, observing behavior, and coming to a verdict based from opinions and beliefs. According to “Mental illness in the 16th and 17th centuries," the main symptoms were suicidal thoughts, self harm, refusing to pray, the inability believe in religion, sexual urges,  visions, constant weeping, and hatred of spouse. All of these symptoms fell into different categories of madness. The category determined the cause of the madness and the treatment. Refusing to pray was supposedly the work of the devil, and required religious consult, suicidal thoughts and self harm was the effect of sad occurrences and required psychological treatment, etc.

# data[].attributes.body
As people thought mental illnesses were caused by various factors, the range of treatments was broad. The most common practitioners were herbalist, astrologers, bone setters,  'wise women' (therapists), and even religious leaders contributed to the assistance of mental cases. ("Mental illness in the 16th and 17th centuries").  In this time, herbalism was the main method of medicine. Paracelsus was the first to lay the foundations of herbalism, along with how chemical compounds release toxins into the brain and affect one's cognitive process (Alan Hopking). Astrologist had a major role in some patients' treatment aswell.
Some astrologists believed that a person's personality is based from the alignment of the stars from when the date they were born. Therefore, astrologists were brought in to see if the stars could be responsible for a patient's madness. After many  years, the appointment of The Bethlem Asylum brought the realization that mental illnesses could be a medical matter ("Mental illness in the 16th and 17th centuries).

# data[].attributes.body
According to "The Horrors of the Bethlem Royal Hospital, London,"  "This London asylum is the oldest in the world, opened in 1357, and has one of the most terrible histories of any asylum ever heard of."  Most may know of the horrendous living conditions and harsh treatments in asylums of history, but some infer that Bethlem takes these circumstances to the extreme (Hutchings). Not only was such cruelty applied to the treatment, but it was applauded among the community!  A man who lived near by was even noted to justify this information.  He claimed to hear "cryings, screechings, roarings, brawlings, shaking of chains, swearings, frettings, and chaffings to be heard from the outside" (Hutchings). The employees were known as "keepers" within the hospital.  One particular keeper, Helkiah Crooke took over in 1619, but he was known being "unskillful in the practice of medicine."  According to "The Horrors of the Bethlem Royal Hospital, London," there were no records of him handling the medical needs of patients, and even referred to the patients as "prisoners" or "poore."  During his term of management,  he did nothing to approve the living conditions of the patients! If anything, Crooke believed this was the deserving treatment of the mentally ill.  Hutchings says "Under Cooke’s Keeping, the residents were not only filthy and unclothed, but malnourished to the point of starvation using a “lowering diet,” of intentionally slim portions of plain food only twice a day." Crooke's beliefs lead him to think that he could squander the madness from the patients. After all, some may think the intentions of the Bethlem Royal Hospital was to keep the insane off the streets and money in the owners' pockets.

# data[].attributes.body
As the years advance, it'd be a given that so does the technology in medicine, but there'd be no need for new technology without new discoveries in mental health. Although disorders such as depression and schizophrenia were discovered closer to the 18th century, common illnesses like Alzheimer's weren't discovered until 1906 ("Alzheimer's Disease Fact Sheet"). Alois Alzheimer first discovered the disease when he noticed a change in the brain's structure during a brain autopsy under an electron microscope. Alois made the verdict that Alzheimer's disease is caused by a physical change in the brain, not psychological. If a patient in Shakespearean time had the same symptoms as someone diagnosed with Alzheimer's today, the doctors would jump to the conclusion that the patient just had memory loss, not an actual illness.

# data[].attributes.body
For the same reason our economy is based from the tradition methods used in the past, constantly growing and improving, so does medicine. Even the most common practices  used today are much more complex then where they started.  The 16th century was the beginning of doctors experimenting with medicine. According to Tricia Hussung,

the methods of "medicine" that were used most frequently were:

Trephination - removing and cutting different parts of the brain with a large bore saw.

Purging - Claudius Galen believed that mental disorders were caused by a chemical imbalance within the body. With purging, removing all the nutrients (bad or good) to detox the brain was attempted.

Isolation - this isn't technically a form of medicine, but it was a form of treatment.  Doctors would contain mental patients in a room, a chain locked on their ankle, and basically forced them to control their own minds.

Now of days, we have similar treatments. Brain surgery instead of Trephination, dietary plans instead of purging, and therapy instead of isolation and asylums. They're all based on the cruel and excruciating treatments from Shakespearean time.

# data[].attributes.body
In conclusion, being mad in the 16th century was a scary and confusing situation for everyone.  Without the technology we have today there was no telling, why patients were insane, what they might do while being mad, or how to control the outrageous symptoms the patients show. Doctors did everything they could  to experiment and treat the mentally ill, even if the process was painful and intolerable.