3. Religion Was Thought To Be Enough
Just like they do today, people 100 years ago rejected medical treatment if their religion said so. Many people believed that a lot of those who had mental health symptoms just needed religion or God to cure them. This is something that is often still believed today, especially among fundamentalists and Scientologists. However, it was much more common and socially acceptable to reject medical treatment on a religious basis 100 years ago than it is today.
Those who rejected religion ran the risk of being sent to an asylum. If you weren’t religious or godly enough, you might display some signs that would lead people to believe you were insane. Those people were probably the least insane of all and had no business being sent to a facility where actual ill people needed treatment. Luckily, most of us know well enough today that, while doctors aren’t perfect and don’t have all the answers to cure all our ailments, it’s still better to take a pill than to pray it away.
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