**Mental illness is not a stable concept over time because it means what it means to be normal changes. Whatever constitutes being mentally ill depends on society's values in whichever period in history.** Mental illness is presented as an ahistorical concept that anyone in any period of history could experience. However, these are just our modern concepts and treatments developed through our relationship with mental illness and our definitions of normal/abnormal. There is an assumption of linear progress in the history of mental illness due to all our scientific breakthroughs. Although we can admit that technology and treatments have improved, our definition of rationality and criteria to determine success defines that progress. For example, insanity had a vague definition in [the late Middle Ages and was not treated systemically]( http://www.elimeyerhoff.com/books/Foucault/history_of_madness_foucault.pdf); people who consistently acted out of their wits or even people physical conditions like leprosy were expelled out of the city or placed under the care of citizens. Madness and insanity were seen as punishment by God without any medical context. Therefore people with epilepsy and leprosy were considered part of the same category. Attitudes towards insanity slightly changed during [the Renaissance]( http://www.elimeyerhoff.com/books/Foucault/history_of_madness_foucault.pdf) in some parts of Europe as insanity was perceived as a form of wisdom or rediscovered knowledge for ancients. They were interested in understanding a person going through God's punishment as they reflected a form of divine wisdom. [The Enlightment]( http://www.elimeyerhoff.com/books/Foucault/history_of_madness_foucault.pdf) turned insanity and mental illness into silence as they were seen as a threat to reason and reasonable people, rather than individuals punished by the hand of God. Many nations in Europe went as far as confining and repressing mentally ill citizens (curable or un-curable) into dungeons, gallows, iron collars, and prison cells, along with the poor, sick, and idle. These 'mad houses' were not rehabilitation facilities but prisons to hide them from reasonable and rational society. The rationale for this was to revert society's moral errors by punishing these groups of people into learning to live moral and reasonable lifestyles. The way we view and treat mental illness has to with our society's values and the meaning of rationality. Modern values in our society lean more towards curing or rehabilitating mentally ill people into more normal lives and having more compassion towards them. However, what we consider normal and rational changes; not so long ago being [homosexual]( https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/the-limits-of-psychiatry/) was considered a mental illness, and even a [women not accepting her gender role]( https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/the-limits-of-psychiatry/) would've been considered a mental condition. [Medicalization of behaviors]( https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/the-limits-of-psychiatry/) formally considered normal has increased within the last 20 years. Not saying any of this is a bad thing; it perhaps is a good thing, but it's certainly something that rarely gets questioned.

**The definition of mental illness needs to be adaptive so that it can reflect newly acquired data.** [Mental illness](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2811514/) is a combined study of sciences. It's an ever-evolving study that configures the latest discoveries and past corrections with new hypotheses. It’s meant to be subjected to rigorous questioning and analysis. If the definition of mental illness remained stagnant, [demonic possession and religious punishment](https://www.uniteforsight.org/mental-health/module2) would still be a part of its meaning today. [Historically](https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/blog/our-history-and-future-70-years-mental-health-foundation), mental health is one of the least explored medical fields. This lack of knowledge has allowed assumptions to be taken as knowledge. A few instances of misconception include: → In the early 1900s, intensive surgeries like [lobotomies](https://batonrougebehavioral.com/the-surprising-history-of-mental-illness-treatment/), were par for the course practices in treating mental illness and continued for nearly 50 years until it was determined ineffective. → The soldiers of the first and second world wars that experienced anxiety, shortness of breath, or prolonged feelings of sadness were diagnosed with ['hysteria' or 'neurosis'](https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/medicine/nerves-neuroses). Misdiagnosis continued throughout the 1960s and cast a negative stigma onto these individuals. To establish proper treatments addressing mental illness rather than public opinion, the definition must be adaptable. If we strip away the ability to accommodate new findings or to test new theories, we’re dismantling the construct of the scientific nature of the mental illness.