Mental disorders take enormous toll in all societies, cultures, in human suffering, disability and loss of community resources. As per the World Mental Health Report 2001, 12% of the total burden of disease and 30.8 % of all Years Lived with Disability (YLD’s) are due to neuropsychiatric illness (WHO, 2001). This field has fascinated intellectuals since antiquity. It has evolved through different phases before arriving to the present scenario. Acquaintance with the evolution of psychiatry is a prerequisite for a better understanding the past and for a clear concept of the present and to plan any future activity.
In India, Mental illness has received importance since antiquity, dating back to the prehistoric period and preceding the Indus Valley civilization. The Indian indigenous science and philosophy have significantly influence the present Indian psychiatry. These contributions come from the Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Vedas, Upanishads, tantra (alchemical), the great epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and other folklore (Bilimoria, 2003).
In India, Mental illness has received importance since antiquity, dating back to the prehistoric period and preceding the Indus Valley civilization. The Indian indigenous science and philosophy have significantly influence the present Indian psychiatry. These contributions come from the Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Vedas, Upanishads, tantra (alchemical), the great epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and other folklore (Bilimoria, 2003).
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