The biological tradition in Mental Health Classical Antiquity

The biological tradition in mental health can go back to Hippocrates, Greek doctor and philosopher, who was the first to explain the natural origins of the diseases of the soul and body. Therefore, the physiological factor that caused them and proposed a specific treatment for each of them.

In the case of soul diseases, Alcmeón de Crotona, in the seventh century. C. It was the first to relate them to the brain, because I associated it as the cradle of reasoning and the corresponding thoughts of the soul.

He also proposed the proper integration of opposites; that is, internal and external stimuli as health indicators. The lack of consonance between these opposites would be taken as a collision or "dyscrasia".

The non -pathological condition, The hedonic state would be the balance or "Crasia". Other authors such as Empédocles charge relevance when considering the starting point for the Four mood theory, based on the interaction between elements and qualities (fire/heat, earth/dryness, water/humidity, air/cold).

This revolutionary theory was radically against the priests, who still maintained the method of religious healing For the cause of physical and mental condition, as seen in the article of the supernatural tradition in psychopathology.

Content

• The beginnings of biological tradition in psychopathology: Hippocrates
  • Hippocrates and psychopathology
• Plato and Aristotle
• Asclepiades (1st century.C.)
• Biological tradition settlement: Cicero (106-43 to.C.) and Plutarch (46-120 D.C.)
• The expansion of the biological tradition: Galen (130-200 D.C.)
  • Galen and the theory of moods: the soul of biological tradition
    • Theory of moods: temperature relationship with their characteristics
• References

The beginnings of biological tradition in psychopathology: Hippocrates

Classical antiquity is estimated as a critical period and of the utmost importance in the history of human development. In fact, here the flowering of Western medicine was given.

The First School of Medicine was founded on the island of Cos Considering Hippocrates (460 to.C.-370 a.C). as the main promoter From this new branch of science, being recognized as the father of medicine.

Began to look for an organic cause for diseases that afflicted the mind and body, In opposition to the supernatural ideas of curse or possessions, leaving aside the term "madness" and assigning the "disease".

Hippocrates and his followers resumed humoral theory, that defended the idea that in order for health in human nature, there should be a balance between the four moods: blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile, which corresponded to a specific organ. Therefore, Some type of imbalance in its functioning would be the cause of a specific disease.

Hippocrates and psychopathology

Hippocrates believed that the gods, associated with natural laws, intervened only in healing, But he considered that the physical cause of the ailment should be discovered by the doctor.

With respect to the origin of mental disorders, it coincided with Alcmeón, concluding that it is a imbalance of moods in the brain. In addition, he made a first classification of disorders:

• Frenitis
• Melancholia
• Mania

Hysteria was one of the non -mental disorders, investigated by Hippocrates collecting data and by observing symptoms, where it concluded that It was due to the uterus dislocation due to the lack of sexual relations, Considering this organ as changing.

His contribution in the Medicine area had such an impact that it was recognized as an effective inductive knowledge and was the basis for future theories such as Galen and Types of Temperament.

Plato and Aristotle

The emergence of Plato (429-347 to.C.) and his new thesis makes, little by little, the hypocratic idea is discarded as regards mental illness. Plato developed the idea that an ethereal, not material, almost magical element of each person influenced their form of behavior.

This is how he appeared dualistic approach, which expressed the fusion of mind and body, resulting in two souls: rational and irrational.

Plato said that Mental illness occurred when the stable connection between these two souls was lost, affecting the irrational soul.

Aristotle, Plato's disciple, supported this theory, but He pointed out that it was not possible to separate these two souls, since they work together forming a unit. He also pointed out that The irrational soul could not get sick due to its spiritual and immortal origin, Returning to the importance of the physical structure to give the disorder.

Asclepiades (1st century.C.)

Asclepiades, although he did not accept the theory of the four moods, he was the first to make the differentiation between illusions, hallucinations and delusions.

Besides, classified mental illness as acute and chronic. The theory of this exponent is based more on the Environmental influences And its position is totally against inhuman therapeutic techniques made in order to free magical beings.

Biological tradition settlement: Cicero (106-43 to.C.) and Plutarch (46-120 D.C.)

Mental disorders were investigated by other Roman doctors such as Cicero and Plutarch, within the biological tradition.

Cicero gave great emphasis to the moral and philosophical component describing two emotional states:

• Insania: Imbalance and lack of serenity
• Fury: much more intense, triggered negative attitudes for the collapse of mental skills, causing the individual to act contrary to the laws

On the other hand, Plutarch showed interest in the clinical and trauma descriptions of people who had suffered a psychic imbalance. He was one of the pioneers to study what 2000 would later be known as PTSD or post -traumatic stress disorder.

The expansion of the biological tradition: Galen (130-200 D.C.)

In the time of the discoveries of Galen Highlight doctors and sorano doctors who struggled to conveniently define the concept of mental illness.

• Premorbid personalities were the initial focus of areteo interest, who, after many observation works, explained that Mental disorders are simply normal processes that they had suffered a problem in their evolution, exaggerating the personality features of a normal patient
  • Finally, he gave some references on how the patient himself could range between states of mania and depression, to the state of lucidity
• Sorano stood out for his insistence on looking for ways to train specialized people for the care of the mentally ill and humanistic therapeutic development. It also was responsible for extending the classification of mental disorders previously prepared by Hippocrates, adding hysteria and hypochondria

Galen and the theory of moods: the soul of biological tradition

Galen's thesis were the ones that most predominated among the doctors of his time. I organized and summarized all the information obtained from previous authors about mental illnesses.

He also made criticism, observations and modified the established medical system, which was used for several centuries almost like dogma.It was not very different from the hypocratic approach, although with some nuances.

Its greatest contribution was the postulated theory on temperaments or types of personalities. Presented nine main mixtures of temperamental categories. Later it would reduce them to the most predominant four.

Another idea of ​​Galen, who had a remarkable importance, was his conception of fear and his presence during alterations, which further complicate mental disorder.

However, Discrete with Hippocrates in relation to the idea of ​​the uterus, since it does not consider it as a changing organ. In addition, other authors such as Seneca are opposed, and his idea that reason is the only cause of diseases.

Theory of moods: temperature relationship with their characteristics

Although there is not much information about how Galen treated psychic conditions, it is known that it was careful To people through very varied therapies that went from fasting to cold water showers.

Besides, He was one of the first to use "psychotherapy" as a method, where there was a mentor that highlighted defects and guided the patient to obtain emotional control based on the directed speech.

References

Peña-Herrera, b. (2018) General Psychopathology. Samborondón: University Holy - Ecuador.