Not to speak of the dark by-gone days of the history, even now instances are not wanting where a poor patient suffering from mental disorders is beaten mercilessly, chained and locked in the dungeon with the idea that he is bewitches by an evil spirit which can be exorcised by all sorts of rough handing.
It is gratifying to note, however, that due to persistent efforts of doctors like Hahnemann, Pinnel and Conolly inhuman treatment of patients in Mental Hospitals has since been stopped.
Dr. Hahnemann was the first and foremost to advocate the kind and sympathetic behaviour with the mental patients. In his lesser writings he says, “I never allow any insane person to be punished by blows or other corporal punishment,” To prove this Dr. Hahnemann started a Mental Hospital of his own in Georgenthal near Gotha in the year 1792 and in this institution kindness was the unvarying rule. Doctors like Norton Manning and M. Christian have corroborated the truth in their learned treatise as far back as in 1865 that kindly treatment has always improved the conditions of mental patients.
Until recently very few people thought that like physical disorders, mental disorders can also be cured and prevented. The importance of mental health was first recognised by an American, Clifford W. Beers, who spent seven years as a patient in Mental Hospital. When recovered, he revealed his experience in his book called “A mind that found itself” which stirred the imagination of American public and for the first time in the history of the continent the American Association for Mental Hygiene was founded in 1901.
From the United States of America the movement spread in all directions and the most civilised countries are now endeavoring to promote the study of mental disorders with a view to their prevention and treatment.
Some expert Psychiatrists suggest that mental disorders and diseases usually require mental medicine and according to the type of cases and circumstances any of the various forms of psychotherapy, i.e. suggestion, autosuggestion, hypnotism, persuasion, re-education, psycho-analysis can be utilised. They admit that in the case of Psychoses the science is greatly impotent.
Though the old school experts have got not medicine for mental diseases, one need not be pessimist about the cure of such cases under Homoeopathic treatment. Homoeopathic Science has got ample scope for such cases, as it is the only science of all systems of treatment in which the patient is treated and not the disease. In no other system of treatment so much stress is given on the mental symptoms as under Homoeopathic treatment.
Symptoms expressed by the mental patients are nothing but the reflex actions of the subconscious state of mind where the suppressed and repressed feelings are harboured. Only a fragment of truth comes out in the incoherent prattlings and ramblings of a mad man. It is said that only one-tenth of the healthy human mind is exposed to the outside world and the nine-tenths of its is always submerged like a chunk of ice floating on the sea.
It is more so in an unbalanced condition of the mind. Though ordinarily no importance is attached to the incoherent prattlings or ravings of a mad man, a clever psychopath discerns the link between the seemingly irrelevant ramblings and prescribes medicine according to the characteristic attitude of the mind and posture.
In his famous treatise “Organon of Medicine” pare 214, Dr. Hahnemann instructs as regards treatment of mental patients- “The instructions I have to give relative to the cure of mental diseases may be confined to a very few remarks, as they are to be cured in the same way as all other diseases, viz., by a remedy which shows, by the symptoms it caused in the body and mind of a healthy individual, a power of producing a morbid state as similar as possible to the case of the disease before us and in not other can they be cured.”.
Now about the practical suggestions for curing mental disease, I would like to discuss here, some medicines.
Ignatia and Natrum mur, are very efficacious in melancholia, particularly after any shock, grief or bereavement when patients are very much depressed, moody, always brooding, sigh and sob but do not like to speak or to be spoken to.
IGNATIA:
11th, April, 1937-I was called to attend a lady, aged 23, who was in a disturbed condition of mind, so much so that she would not stay at home; would run away on the road, would tear of her own hair, weep silently in on corner of the room, wont take food, for days together. She would go on abusing and cursing some imaginary enemy and so on.
On enquiry I came to know that her young baby aged about 22 years was knocked down by a motor car about a month back and lying in Sambhunath Pandit Hospital, Calcutta and since then she has been behaving like that. A dose of Ignatia-200 was given which lulled the symptoms for a day to relapse again vehemently, when a dose of the same medicine in 1000th. potency was given. She was much better and cheerful after that. But she became very much suspicious minded. Always suspecting people had poisoned her food, so she would not take any food. A dose of Hyoscyamus 200 was given. Within a week she became normal and has been keeping alright since then.
When these mental aberrations or insanity are due to reflex uterine troubles, as in puerperal mania and hysteria and the patients are extraordinarily gloomy and always borrow troubles, Actea Racemosa works wonder.
ACTEA RACEMOSA-
is also useful in mania after business embarrassments.
When the mania takes a violent form and the patients desire to cut and tear everything, especially clothes. Veratrum Album helps.
TARANTULA-
is also a very good medicine for destructive mania.
When the patient always thinks of committing suicide, feels that every body is against him and life is not desirable, with a syphilitic history, he are benefited by Aurum met.
In Alumina we find patients get the idea of committing suicide whenever they find a knife or blood, easily frightened, take everything in bad part.
When the patient always talks of indecent things, exposes the body shamelessly (Erotomania or Nymphomania), Hyoscyamus, Opium and Phosphorus may be thought of according to indications.
PLUMBUM-
is also a good medicine in mania of patients with history of excessive masturbation. Apis mel and Baryta mur are often indicated in sexual mania, particularly of windows.
When a patient assumes all sorts of strange attitude and positions and wants to escape of bite goes down on knees and prays with folded hands with religious bickerings, wants light and company, Stramonium clears the case.
When patients give vent to undue fear, as if they have committed sin, crime and the police is dogging them, they are benefited by Arsenic alb.
In another kind of mania when the patient suffers from Anthropophobia, fears and mistrusts the future, frequently screams loudly as if to call some one, suffers from hallucination that she is double that a stranger is constantly by the side, one on left and other on the right, her husband is not her husband, her child is not hers, a few doses of Anacardium O. restores the patient to her senses.
Religious insanity, alternate loquacity and taciturnity, suspicious Mania, particularly during climacteric period is relieved by Lachesis.
Kali Bromatum-
is another medicine, misuse of which under the old school treatment is responsible in many cases of dementia and consequently it is a first class remedy in the hands of Homoeopaths when following symptoms are prevalent:.
“Memory absolutely destroyed, cannot recognise friends not be comforted by them. Frightful imagination at night (particularly in advanced state of pregnancy) under impression that they have committed or about to commit some great crime and cruelty such as murdering their children or husband, think they are pursued, will be poisoned, are selected for Divine vengeance, suffer from fits of uncontrollable weeping and constant fidgety hands.”.
I was once invited to attend a case at 211, Rash Behari Avenue, Calcutta where a young child aged four years was lying seriously ill, as a result of over dose of Potassium Bromide administered to stop infantile convulsion. The child remained in stupor for more than three weeks, could not utter a single word even after one month of this condition could not recognise her parents, had not craving for food, lying lifeless like a log of wood. Kali Brom. and Hyoscyamus in high potency improved the case a greater deal but the child has not got back her former activities and intelligence as yet, as the mischief was too severe.
Pulsatilla-
is a good medicine for mental derangement arising out of suppression of mens. I was able to cure with it a very bad case of insanity which resisted all other treatment.
[ A young unmarried girl of Creek Lane, aged about 22, showed sings of obesity with the history of suppressed menstruation of last six months. She was very constipated and had irregular beating of heart. Easily susceptible to cold. Gradually developed melancholia, weeping without cause, speaking to herself, miserly habits as revealed in her persistent request to friends and relatives to take only little quantity of food and wear only ragged and tattered cloths otherwise she would go on shouting and screaming, take the children to task unnecessarily repeating a sentence for hours together and the like. 15th. August, 1935, I took up the case, Graphites and Lycopodium in 100th. potency were prescribed according to symptoms, did not do much good when on September 28th, a dose of Pulsatilla 1000 was given this re- established the menses and restored the patient to her senses. She is now quite alright.]
Tuberculinum-
is also a good medicine for Insanity. It is admitted by experts that insanity is very frequently a manifestation of the consumptive taint. Burnett has cured with Bacillinum a case of insanity being led to give it by a ring-worm like eruption on the body.
