Depression throughout the ages
5,000 years ago in the Stone Age, ancient man thought that depression was a Supernatural force. They thought it was caused by evil spirits in the body.
400 BC - 200 BC The ancient Greeks used more scientific approaches to explain depression. Greek philosophers thought it to be caused by imbalances of four elements (fire, water, air, earth) in the body.
106 BC - 90 BC Romans also used somewhat rational theories to explain depression. They believed it stems from emotional disturbances. It was also thought that emotional factors caused physical illnesses.
1400AD - 1600AD In the Medieval times, depressed individuals were not looked so kindly upon. Depression was thought to be caused by “sins of individual’s morals”, as well as a preoccupation with one’s inner world. Depressed people were usually kept in cages and displayed to the public as "freaks"
1800 - 1970 In later times, people had more reasonable theories for why people become depressed. They believed it had to do with heredity. It also had more to do with the brain, than the body. People also discovered that a person’s social, political, and economical environment contributed to depression.
