The ancient Greeks and Romans were responsible for the terms “mania” and “melancholia,” which are now the modern day manic and depressive. They even discovered that using lithium salts in baths calmed manic patients and lifted the spirits of depressed people. Today, lithium is a common treatment for bipolar patients. The Greek philosopher Aristotle not only acknowledged melancholy as a condition, but thanked it as the inspiration for the great artists of his time. It was common during this time that people across the globe were executed for having bipolar disorder and other mental conditions because as the study of medicine advanced, strict religious dogma stated these people were possessed by demons and should therefore be put to death.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Sep 2013 13:44:19 +0000