About: Mental illness in ancient Greece

Mental illness was an issue that many faced in ancient times much like in the modern world. In ancient Greece, many were divided over what they believed to be the cause of the illness that a patient faced. According to James Longrigg in his book Greek Medicine From the Heroic to the Hellenistic Age, many believed that mental illness was a direct response from the angry gods. The only way according to Longrigg to fight this illness was to appease the gods by doing so this will ultimately rid the person of the demon that was ailing the person. This led to many variations of treatment ranging from prayer to surgery to sacrifice. It is only through centuries of understanding as well as modern technology that we are now able to diagnose and treat those afflicted properly.