The Capital Weekly recently had an article I found interesting on the history of the Mental Health Hospital in Maine and specifically one of it's superintendent's, Dr. Henry Harlow. What I thought some of you might find interesting is the last few paragraphs where the article explains the scientific views of mental illness of the day.

In 1857, he stated that heredity played a role in 70 out of the 144 patients under his care. He also believed that upbringing played a role too. He believed that a lack of discipline, exercise and work contributed to people becoming mentally ill. He also saw the schools of the day as a cause of mental illness with the constant emphasis of memorization and recitation as unhealthy for young minds.

He believed that a poor diet, the use of alcohol and tobacco and immoral behavior, as well as novel reading, all negatively affected one's mental health.

Read the entire article at the link below:
http://www.courierpub.com/articles/2005/08/02/capitalweekly/local_news/n...

Now, I am no doctor or anything and can not explain the cause mental illness in any way, so perhaps this is my ignorance talking. But I can see that "a lack of discipline, exercise and work contributed to people becoming mentally ill." It doesn't strike me as being so strange. Chemical imbalances aside.

Anyway, I thought it was interesting. Could help with your impression Seamus! :)