In Medieval times mental illness was called madness. Madness included every thing from memory loss to sadness (depression) to schizophrenia and hallucinations. One of the main ways the court determined whether a person was mad was to test their memory (Turner,81-96). Memory was used most often than not solely to determine whether a person needed to be sent to an asylum or if they should pay for their crime. If the person of interest was too far gone by the time the court intervened then they would ask for family testimonies to compare what the person used to act to how they acted then.
The mentally ill were often labeled as witches or people inhabited by demons (Carr). They forced the mad into asylums/hospitals run by churches and other religious groups that had less enlightened treatment of people with mental disorders was prevalent to the public. Some of the treatments used included exorcisms and prayer as they believed the insane were possessed. The medieval era had more of a religious state of mind when it came to the insane since most people back then were catholic. Most of the time the mad were not actually treated or "cured".
The mentally ill were often labeled as witches or people inhabited by demons (Carr). They forced the mad into asylums/hospitals run by churches and other religious groups that had less enlightened treatment of people with mental disorders was prevalent to the public. Some of the treatments used included exorcisms and prayer as they believed the insane were possessed. The medieval era had more of a religious state of mind when it came to the insane since most people back then were catholic. Most of the time the mad were not actually treated or "cured".