Men Have Called Her Crazy

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses mental illness and gender discrimination.

Mental health is a gendered issue that dates back to ancient times. The first recorded mental health disorder was hysteria, an issue believed to affect only women. The root of hysteria was thought to be the uterus, which ancient thinkers believed could wander throughout the body of a woman and cause her to experience various symptoms or ailments. Hysteria was first recorded on a piece of papyrus in Ancient Egypt, but the Greeks and Romans also believed in the existence and prevalence of hysteria. Various treatments for hysteria included using different aromas to try to lure the uterus back to its rightful position or the ingestion of herbs believed to calm the uterus, among others (Tasca, Cecilia, et al. “Women And Hysteria In The History Of Mental Health.” Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health, 2012).

However, as the medical field became more complex and nuanced, medical practitioners began to believe that hysteria was not rooted in the uterus but in the brain. The prevalence of hysteria lasted from the ancient period into the 19th and 20th centuries, with Sigmund Freud believing that hysteria could affect both men and women.