Mental illness has been recognized in people dating back to days of Ancient Greece and

Rome. A number of disturbances that were described included feelings of melancholy,

hysteria and phobias. The concept that mental illness must be related to biology was

first considered by Hippocrates. While at this time serious conditions such as

schizophrenia were not yet recognized, the thought that these conditions were related

to the brain was there.

As time passed, several psychiatric theories developed and even crude treatments were

developed to treat individuals. Many of these treatments and theories for mental illness

were developed by Islamic medicine in the Middle East.