Till about 17th century all abnormal behavior was believed to be act of the 'devil' i. e. 'Against God', 'Mentally ill' were considered evil & described as witches. Gradually over the passing time, mental illness was considered as 'deviant behavior & mentally ill were considered socially unacceptable & put in jails along with other criminals. In the modern era, there was a shift from 'evil' to 'ill'. Mentally ill were called as 'mad' or 'insane' and were placed in special places called as 'asylums'. However, gradually these asylums became the place for human exploitation. Phillipe Pinel was the first Psychiatrist to free these mentally ill from asylum. Clifford Beers work ' The mind that found itself' pought in light the treatment meted out to these people in asylums, resulting in a strong reaction to the plights of mentally ill. This uproar resulted in starting of 'mental-hygiene' movement.
In the 20th century, the work of Freud and 'B. F. Skinner & J. B. Watson' gave a scientific combination of biological & social theories to explain the etiology of mental illness.
