Female Suicide in Mythology

Classical Mythology usually is associated with the Greeks and Romans yet many mythological characters are from other cultures as well. Trojan mythology also forms a part of classical mythology. The range of mythology is a timeline from prehistory to the Byzantine. Myths are stories and problems and their solutions are exaggerated.

The subject matter of myths are issues in real life like murder, cannibalism, matricide, patricide, fratricide, infanticide, rape and suicide.

Suicide in women in Classical Mythology asks the questions that are even now misunderstood. Why is death preferable to life? When is suicide acceptable or necessary?

Some causes of suicide are grief, shame, madness, self-sacrifice, fear and frustration. 

Grief is a response of agonizing and sorrowful distress to a death or loss. Grief is a reaction to one's feelings of loss of control over life situations with loss of hope for the future. The view of the world and reality becomes distorted, and death seems the only answer to life’s disasters.

In ancient society a female’s role was primarily in the control of a male. Before marriage, the control was held by her father, but with marriage she was physically, economically and psychologically transferred to her husband, consequently owned by her mate. The physical dependence on males was so embedded in society that the female personality and social function was only complete in its relationship to the male. With the loss of the male authority, females could no longer perceive a role in society, and so suicide may occur.

Without their husbands a widow’s status was typically destitute or lacking. These ideas of being made empty or lacking means that marriage allows a woman to fulfill herself and with the loss of the male,  she becomes half; since marriage has made two of one, a widow is a woman that is not whole. The second most common grief for women is the loss of their child. The experience of childbirth combined with the social role of motherhood is more devastating in females than males; the number of mothers who commit suicide upon the death of their sons shows the profundity of grief to which they succumb. The mythological stories of mothers who commit suicide at the loss of children deal mostly with the loss of famous sons.

When celebrated women are abandoned by their lovers not only are in essence widowed, but they may also have to face the censure of their societies.  The women's betrayal of home or country and the shame that results combines with the grief felt by abandonment.

A sense of shame was a powerful motivation in the ancient world It is also associated with people who have strong feelings. Traditionally women are considered to put more worth in feelings more than thinking, in the ancient world shame far overshadows guilt in suicide in both male and females.

The mythological instances of females committing suicide either to avoid rape or, if unable to avoid rape, to display the resultant repugnance and shame.

When the rapist is a relative, sexually abusive incest, the victim is not merely suffers from the violation against her virtue of chastity, but also feels the effect of an offence against the reverence with which relatives should be regarded.  Suicide seems to point to from a female perspective there is a sense of self-worth that motivates one to choose honorable death over living in shame.

Sometimes instead of unrequited love leads to suicide the actions of the females lead s to a profound sense of shame that in turn prompts their self-destruction.

The usual link between mental illness and suicide for mythological characters; it is rarely is attributed to madness in mythology.

Throughout Greek mythology the idea of placing patriotic concerns over personal concerns to the point of self sacrifice for the benefit of the community. The noble suicide of these individuals to sacrifice her self for a greater good had an inclination to self-reliance and a severe devotion to social demands. 

Cannibalism a History

Cannibalism in the past was common among humans in many parts of the world, it continued into the 19th century in some remote South Pacific cultures, and presently in parts of tropical Africa. In a few cases local flesh-markets existed. Fiji once known as the Cannibal Isles has been documented as being cannibals. Cannibalism was found in Fiji, the Amazon Basin, the Congo and New Zealand. The Neanderthals are believed to have practiced cannibalism.

Cannibalism has been both carried out in several wars, commonly in Liberia and Congo. Today, very few tribes still believed to eat human flesh as a cultural practice. It is also practiced as a ritual and in war in Melanesian tribes. People who eat human flesh are usually charged with crimes such as murder or desecration of a body.

Cannibalism has been frequently practiced as a last resort by people suffering from famine. Occasionally it has occurred in modern times. A famous example is the crash of an Air Force Flight crash after which some survivors ate the bodies of dead passengers. Also, some mentally ill individuals obsess about eating human body parts.

The theme of cannibalism has been featured in religion, mythology, fairy stories and in works of art. Cannibalism features is most often attributed to evil characters or as extreme revenge for some wrong.  Greek mythology involves cannibalism, especially of family members, Cronos or Saturn in the Roman mythology devoured his sons. The story of Tantalus also illustrates this. These mythologies inspired Shakespeare's works. 

Many instances of cannibalism by necessity were recorded during World War II.  Reports of cannibalism began to appear in the winter of 1941–1942, after all birds, rats and pets were eaten by survivors.  With the Soviet victory was found that some German soldiers in the besieged city, cut off from supplies, resorted to cannibalism.

German soldiers were taken prisoner of war. Most of them were sent to POW camps where being underfed by their captors, many had no other alternative resorted to cannibalism.

In some cases the flesh was cut from living people.

It is recorded that Japanese soldiers killed and consumed American pilots. Cannibalism in World War II of Allied prisoners by their Japanese captors included ritual cannibalization of the livers of freshly killed prisoners.

Cannibalism whether out of necessity or as a cultural ritual was and frequently found in all ages of the world.  The speculation of why does not make this practice humane or acceptable to society.  Cannibalism is now considered repulsive to most but exists even to the present time.

Mental Illness Through the Ages

In ancient Greek scholars were of the opinion that mental diseases were caused by an imbalance in four humors of the body. The three humors which influenced mental disorders termed melancholia, mania and an acute mental disorder accompanied by fever. This was contrary to the supernatural or divine explanations of illness. The belief that disease was the product of environmental factors, diet and living habits, not as a punishment inflicted by the gods, and that the  treatment depended on which bodily fluid, or humor, had caused the problem. Around 427-347 BC the belief that there were two types of mental illness: divinely inspired mental illness that gave the person prophetic powers and a type that was caused by a physical disease. By 384 BC, the divinely caused mental illness theory was abandoned and the proposal that instead all mental illness was caused by physical problems.

In ancient Greece and Rome, madness was associated the stereotype of pointless wandering and violence.

The Romans absorbed many Greek ideas on medicine, as well as other cultures, through the conquering of nations. The humor theory was discarded and scholars advocated humane treatments, and had insane persons freed from confinement and treated them with natural 

therapy, such as diet and massages. 

Playwrights described madmen as being driven insane by the Gods, imbalanced humors or circumstances. Mania was often used as a term for insanity; there were a variable range of terms for delusion, eccentricity, frenzy, and lunacy. Some physicians argued that insanity is really present when a continuous dementia begins with imaginings. They suggested that people must heal their own souls through philosophy and personal strength. Common practices were bloodletting, drugs, talking therapy, incubation in temples, exorcism, incantations and amulets, as well as restraints and torture to restore rationality; starvation, being terrified suddenly, agitation of the spirit, and stoning and beating. Most, of the mentally ill did not receive medical treatment but stayed with family or wandered the street. The usual symptoms of delusions of the time included people who thought them to be famous actors or speakers, animals, inanimate objects, or one of the gods.

By the middle Ages, Persian and Arabic scholars were involved in translating, analyzing and Greek texts and beliefs. With the expansion of the Muslim world, these ideas were joined together with religious thought. New ideas and concepts were developed over time. Arab texts contained whole discussions of melancholia. Mania and other disorders including hallucinations and delusions were also described. Mental disorder was thought to be caused by reason gone being lost, and diseases of the as well as to spiritual or mystical meaning. Fear and anxiety, anger and aggression, sadness and depression, and obsessions were recorded.

Under Islam, the mentally disordered were considered incapable but deserved humane treatment and protection.  The first psychiatric hospital ward was created in Baghdad in and insane asylums were built in Fes, Cairo in and in Damascus around 1270. Insane patients were compassionately treated using baths, drugs, music and activities. For centuries to come, translations of many scientific Islamic texts, Canon of Medicine became the standard of medical science in Europe together with works of Hippocrates.

 European Christianity in the middle Ages in Europe the basis of mental illness were a mixture of the divine diabolical magical and transcendental. The four humors black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood were employed, some physicians promoted trepanning as a cure to let demons and excess humors escape. Other remedies in general use included bloodletting and whipping. Madness was often seen as a moral issue, either a punishment for sin or attest of faith. Christian theology supported various therapies, fasting and prayer for those who turned away from God and exorcism of those possessed by the devil. Mental disorders were thought to be due to sin although the belief those other factors could be taken in consideration.  Mass dancing mania is reported from the middle Ages. This was one kind of mass delusion or mass hysteria that has occurred around the world through the millennia.

The care of lunatics was the responsibility of the family. In England, if the family were unable or not willing to take custody , representatives of the courts with a local jury and all interested persons, with the individual.  Those considered lunatics had the support and involvement from the community more often than those who have a mental illness today. Visions were interpreted as meaningful spiritual and prophetic insights.

 During the 16th to 18th centuries some mentally disturbed people may have been victims of the witch-hunts that spread in early modern Europe, but those judged insane were admitted to workhouses, poorhouses and jails especially the paupers, some went to the new private madhouses. Restraints and confinement were used for those thought dangerous or harmful to themselves, others or property.

Madness was commonly depicted in literary works, such as the plays of Shakespeare

By the end of the 17th century and into the Enlightenment, madness was increasingly seen as an organic physical occurrence, not involving the soul or moral responsibility. The mentally ill were viewed as wild animals. Restraint in chains was seen as helping contain the animal furies. Treatment in the few public asylums was harsh, inferior only to prisons. The most well known is Bedlam where at one time spectators could pay to watch the inmates as entertainment. Towards the end of the 18th century, a moral treatment movement developed, that implemented more humane, psychosocial and personalized methods.

The 19th century, with industrialization and population growth, saw an expansion of the number and size of insane asylums.  However, very little therapeutic activity occurred in the new asylum system, the little more there was seldom medical attention to patients, except for other physical problems.

Reports of many mental disorders and irrational uncontrolled behavior are common in historical records back to ancient times, some disorders; they were relatively rare prior to the 19^th century.

By the 1870s in North America, officials who ran Lunatic Asylums renamed them Insane Asylums.

The 20th century brought about psychoanalysis.

Asylum administers attempted to improve the image of the asylums. Asylum inmates were referred to as patients and asylums renamed as hospitals. Referring to people as having a mental illness began during this period of the early 20th century.

In Nazi Germany, the institutionalized mentally ill were the earliest victims of sterilization it has been estimated that over 200,000 individuals with mental disorders of all kinds were put to death.

Funding was often cut for asylums, during periods of economic decline, and wartime and many patients starved to death. 

Previously restricted to the treatment of severely disturbed people in asylums, psychiatrists cultivated clients with a broader range of problems, and between 1917 and 1970 the number practicing outside institutions swelled from 8 percent to 66 percent. The term stress was become popular and was linked to mental disorders.

Lobotomies, insulin shock therapy, electro convulsive therapy became commonly used in the mid-century.

In the 1960s deinstitutionalization gradually occurred, with isolated psychiatric hospitals being closed down with the advanced opening of community mental health service.

With the medical advances and newer more effective medications there is still little improvement in the stigma and shame of having a mental disorder. The closure of many of the state hospitals have brought a about the problem that has had little impact on the people with mental disorders.  Instead of learning from the past it seems that there is a revolving door of returning to the past.

Motivation and Mental Health

Motivation is tied to mental health; depression which is a chronic mental and  often with physical symptoms has a debilitating lack of motivation. But a mental imbalance can cause excessive motivation, as in bipolar disorder during a manic episode. The relationship of motivation and mental health occurs in many different ways. Motivation can be severely lacking with depression. The symptoms of depression stifle motivation, and the stronger these symptoms are, the lower your motivation is to accomplish goals.

Depression is best treated with medication. Depression, due to past failures or traumas, can be better helped with therapy that focus on increasing coping skills. As your motivation increases, there is a decrease in the symptoms of depression.

Bipolar disorder is another disorder where  motivation and mental health is affected. People with bipolar disorder experience alternating periods of depression and mania.

During depressive periods, the person experiences most of the symptoms of major chronic depression, low motivation included. Manic episodes cause people to experience a degree of motivation that is the extreme opposite of depression. Both mania and depression treated with medication and if needed therapy can balance the motivation.

With Bipolar I Disorder motivation will help with staying with your treatment plan and assist you with your medication regime. To keep motivated, record your progress and how you are feeling each day. This way you will be able to see how you are improving. A daily journal is a good way to keep track of your progress.

Staying motivated to take your medicine may help when you wonder if the medicine is really helping you. Progress in your treatment plan may be slow at first. You may find that you have days when you're making good progress, and other days when your therapy seems to be at a stand still. With  Bipolar I Disorder getting it under control sometimes is trial and error.

Treatment is the important thing and not losing  confidence in your treatment plan, even if you do not seem to be making progress for a few days, sticking with your treatment plan is imperative to finding the right combination of medication any concerns should be discussed with your doctor.

There is hope for a recovery for mental illnesses, although the work and commitment that is involved may seem at times impossible.  Making mental wellness is a goal that is worth striving for.  Diligent adherence to proposals by your doctor and medication is vital to healing and keeping mental  well being.

Bipolar Disorder and Medication

If you have bipolar disorder, medication will be prescribed. Medication can bring mania and depression under control and prevent relapse once your mood has stabilized. Medication used long term may not be pleasing as an easy way of life, especially if you’re struggling with unpleasant side effects. But just as a diabetic needs to take insulin in order to stay healthy, taking medication for bipolar disorder will help you maintain a stable mood.

If you have bipolar disorder, taking medication to reduce the frequency and severity of mood episodes is the goal of treatment.

If side effects are severe, your doctor may switch the drug or change the dose. You should always check for drug interactions before taking another prescription medication, over-the-counter drug, or herbal supplement. Drug interactions can cause unexpected side effects or make your medication less effective or even dangerous. Mixing certain foods and beverages with your medication can also cause problems. Learn about potential interactions by discussing them with your doctor or talking to your pharmacist.

Medication works best when making healthy choices. A pill can not work properly with abuse of a healthy way of living. Reduce or discontinue alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant and makes recovery even more difficult. It can also interfere with the way your medication works.

Lithium: Mood stabilizers are medications that help control the highs and lows of bipolar disorder. They are the cornerstone of treatment, both for mania and depression. Lithium is the oldest and most well-known mood stabilizer. It is highly effective for treating mania.

Lithium can also help bipolar depression. But, it is not as effective for mixed episodes or rapid cycling forms of bipolar disorder. Lithium takes from one to two weeks to reach its full effect.

 The side effects that is common on lithium. Some may go away as your body adapts to the medication. Weight gain ; drowsiness ; tremor; weakness or fatigue ; excessive thirst; increased urination; stomach pain; thyroid problems; memory and concentration problems; nausea, vertigo; diarrhea

Anticonvulsants are used in the treatment of bipolar disorder as mood stabilizers. Originally developed for the treatment of epilepsy, they have been shown to relieve the symptoms of mania and reduce mood swings.

Valproic acid is a highly-effective mood stabilizer. Common brand names include Depakote . Valproic acid is often the first choice for rapid cycling, mixed mania, mania with hallucinations or delusions. It is a good bipolar medication option if you can’t tolerate the side effects of lithium.

Common side effects include: drowsiness; weight gain; dizziness; tremor; diarrhea.

Other anticonvulsants that can be used as mood stabilizers include:  Tegretol; Lamicta; andl Topamax

Be wary of natural mood stabilizers they may cause paradoxical reactions.  But used with caution can help to stabilize your mood until the medication becomes more effective. There are many things you can do to stabilize your mood. The way you live your life is just as important, than the medication you take. Making healthy choices for yourself can make a huge difference in how you feel.

Although antidepressants have been the drug of choice for episodes of bipolar depression, their use is becoming more and more questionable. Antidepressants should be used with caution. Antidepressants can trigger mania in people with bipolar disorder. If antidepressants are used at all, they should be combined with a mood stabilizer such as lithium or valproic acid. Taking an antidepressant without a mood stabilizer is likely to trigger a manic episode.

Antidepressants can increase mood cycling. Over time, antidepressant use in people with bipolar disorder can induce mania, and can increase the frequency of manic and depressive episodes.

 If you can stop your mood cycling, you might stop having depressive episodes entirely. If you are able to stop the mood cycling, but symptoms of depression remain, medications may help

If you lose touch with reality during a manic or depressive episode, an antipsychotic drug may be prescribed. They have also help with regular manic episodes. Antipsychotic medications may be helpful combined with a mood stabilizer such as lithium or valproic acid.

Common side effects of antipsychotic medications for bipolar disorder Drowsiness Weight gain Dry mouth which can lead to tooth decay Constipation Blurred vision

Other medications for bipolar disorder are Benzodiazepine. Mood stabilizers can take up to several weeks to reach the effective dosage.  Other med, benzodiazepines should only be used until your mood stabilizer or antidepressant begins to work. Those with a history of substance abuse should be especially cautious medications which are used for bipolar disorder are Benzodiazepine to relieve symptoms of anxiety, agitation, or insomnia. Benzodiazepines are fast-acting sedatives. Because of they are highly addictive.

Bipolar Misdiagnosis

  

Bipolar disorder is one disorder with symptoms at times can be confused with schizophrenia; this leads to mistaken diagnoses, especially in children. Individuals with bipolar disorder, even those that display psychotic symptoms as a feature of their illness, never meet the full diagnosis for schizophrenia. Someone with bipolar disorder is not always in a manic or a depressive phase all o0f the time;  there are periods during which they do not have the disordered thinking, delusions, voices, or other symptoms of schizophrenia. Psychotic symptoms are in bipolar disorder which can occur in a manic or a depressive state are delusions of grandeur and hallucinations; either wildly optimistic and grandiose, or disastrous and guilt-ridden thoughts.

Schizoaffective disorder is a disease that does contain symptoms of both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The distinguishing difference between schizoaffective and bipolar with psychotic symptoms is that to be diagnosed schizoaffective, a person displays the symptoms of schizophrenia without mood symptoms of mania or depression.

 Psychosis is a term used to describe psychotic symptoms. Bipolar may include a kind of psychosis. Several different brain disorders can lead to psychotic symptoms, and the fact that the symptoms are not being caused by some other brain disorder is frequently not obvious.

The main difference between bipolar disorder and major clinical depression is, of course, the absence of manic episodes.  Distinguishing between these two illnesses makes a big impact on treatment choice; while depression is usually treated with antidepressants, someone with bipolar disorder needs mood stabilizers. Taking antidepressants with bipolar disorder can sometimes trigger a manic episode.

Some of other diagnoses are that are less common but still seen at a high rate among patients previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Include antisocial personality disorder and impulse-control disorder.

Borderline personality disorder shows an unstable mood, impulsive behavior and problems maintaining relationships with other people. There are no medications approved specifically for treating borderline personality disorder butt some forms of therapy are effective. However, mood stabilizers and other treatments for bipolar disorder are not helpful in treating borderline disorder.

 Over diagnosis of people as having bipolar disorder is of a major concern; the side effects of the medication antipsychotics included are so devastating if prescribed incorrectly. And the under diagnosis of bipolar disorder leaves many people at a risk of not being treated or not having symptoms noticed before a disaster such as suicide is treated.

Delusions and Hallucinations

Hallucinations are false or distorted sensory experiences or perceptions. These sensory impressions are created by the mind rather than by any external factors, and may be seen, heard, felt, and smelled or tasted.

A hallucination occurs when environmental, emotional, or physical factors such as stress, medication, extreme fatigue, or mental illness cause the brain that helps to distinguish conscious perceptions from internal perceptions. Hallucinations occur during periods of consciousness.

A delusion is a false belief based on incorrect assumption about external reality. This belief is sustained despite what almost everybody else believes. The belief is not one ordinarily accepted by other members of society.

Delusions are a common symptom of several mood and personality mental illnesses, including schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder. They are also the major feature of delusional disorder. Individuals with delusional disorder suffer from long term delusions and include persecutory, grandiose, jealousy. In extreme cases disease sufferers with bipolar disorder and other disorders are in a state of psychosis. The person has strange thoughts, such as delusions and hallucinations. They lose the sense of their immediate environment and are not able to distinguish the difference between reality and hallucinations.

Ideas of reference and delusions of reference involve people having a belief or perception that are irrelevant, unrelated occurrences in the world refer to them directly or have special personal significance.

In psychiatry the states are considered in the psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia, delusional disorder, or bipolar disorder during the elevated stages of mania.  It can also be a characteristic of paranoid personality disorder. These symptoms can also be caused by intoxication, especially with hallucinogens or stimulants.

In true paranoia the person exhibits an unreasonable or exaggerated mistrust and suspicion of others. This suspicion is not based on fact and often become delusions. Paranoia is a symptom that can be part of several disorders, including delusional disorder, paranoid personality disorder, psychotic and mood disorders including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, as well as other illnesses for example substance abuse.

While delusions and hallucinations are a part of these disorders it is not as commonly seen but do play a role in diagnosing the disorder.  In some cases they are overlooked and can only be found in the offices of doctors.  When they interrupt the person’s life and normal activity the hallucinations and delusions need to be treated. Antipsychotic medications are effective. The recovery rate is excellent with compliance to the treatment plan.