Over three hundred thousand years have passed since the earliest case of mental illness. Many people believed it was a demonic possession or supernatural forces until the year of 1883. German psychiatrist, Emil Kraepelin pried open the world’s perspective upon scientific psychology, degeneracy, and manic-depressive psychosis. In 1892, Charlotte Perkins Gilman published “The Yellow Wallpaper” , a short excerpt about current social expectations and Mental illness for women. Although mental illness persists, there are better methods to address it now.
Individuals once believed that mental illness was a sickness, much like John in Charlotte Gilman's “The Yellow Wallpaper”. A “sickness” is distinct and measurable unlike a mental condition. In the narrative, the author, captivated by John's fabrication, feels her spouse knows what is best for her while portraying him as nothing more than a misogynist. “Dear John! He loves me very dearly, and hates to have me sick.” (Gilman 1160) He compares her serious condition to an easily curable sickness like a common cold.
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In Gilman's story she says, “If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency—what is one to do?” Mental care for her was not acknowledged the way it is now. The National Library of Medicine states, “Understanding of the definitions of wellness and illness has changed from the mid-20th century to modern times, moving from a diagnosis-focused to a person-focused definition of mental illnesses, and from an "absence of disease" model to one that stresses positive psychological function for mental health.” With the reduced stigma around Mental Conditions today, it has become widely accepted and important. Mental health awareness has increased and evolved