Humans have come a long way in many aspects of our medical and cultural education over the years. Behavioral health treatment initially was treated with much more barbaric and unethical tactics than those that are being performed today. We have all heard the horror stories of people being condemned to asylums to become the victims of electroshock therapy, freezing water baths, and in some severe cases being the subject of lobotomy procedures. Thankfully we have had people throughout history like the author Nellie Bly who posed as a patient of Blackwell’s Asylum to document the living conditions and treatments of those poor people. Her brave contributions brought these heinous crimes to light in the eyes of the public.
Behavioral health therapy has never had more success in its entire history than it has in the 21st century. The therapists, providers, and doctors that are now treating people afflicted with these issues now have tremendous amounts of helpful data to aid in their work. One of the most beneficial things to come out of behavioral health studies was the creation of SSRI medications. SSRI stands for Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and is a class of drugs that typically are used to treat depression and anxiety disorders. The first models of these drugs dated back to the 1950s but did not see the acclaimed use that they have now until the early to mid-1980s. The current models of these drugs have undergone much change since its inception and have helped 100s of millions of people globally.
New cutting-edge technologies are always being developed by scientists to further help patients navigate the arduous journey that their recovery might entail. One of the newest creations in this field is the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation device or for short, TMS. This is a noninvasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain to help improve behavioral health symptoms. With relatively no risk and minimal side effects, this new tech is showing tremendously positive results among its users. This modality is so new in fact that the FDA approved it for use in 2008 showing just how committed these physicians are at advancing the quality of treatment that people are receiving.
We all owe a lot to the brave men and women who changed the course of action in the way we treat the most important organ in our body, the brain. without these advancements and current developments, who knows exactly how these behavioral health issues would be treated in the 21st century. The field is ever expanding and holds much positive direction heading into the future.
If you are curious about Nellie Bly’s findings you can find them by clicking this link: Nellie Bly
Clinical Director Therapist
Lana Reihani, LPCC, is a Clinical Mental Health Therapist, Clinical Supervisor, and Clinical Director with Sage Neuroscience Center. She is passionate about strengthening evidence-based clinical practices with radical empathy and a touch of humor, delivered with safety, equality, and diversity in mind. In her free time, Lana loves to learn, cook, find the best light for selfies, share amazing memes, and watch trashy reality TV.
Read Lana Reihani’s Full Bio | Browse All Articles Written by Lana Reihani, LPCC