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Welcome to the Mental Health section of Agony Advice. By 'mental health' we mean a person's overall emotional and psychological condition. In the medical establishment and society in general, perceptions about mental health issues have changed over the last century, thankfully. Today, mental illness still has something of a stigma attached to it by some in society, but most doctors take the attitude that it should be treated in the same way as physical illness i.e. that no 'blame' should be attached to the patient and that they deserve the same care and respect as someone suffering from a physical condition such as a heart murmur or bronchitis. This is a far cry from the Victorian era, when individuals suffering from even mild forms of depression could find themselves locked in an asylum, where they were often abused, physically and sexually, by other 'inmates' or the staff, or operated on needlessly and without consent in dangerous and painful experiments by doctors. Today, no-one should be afraid of seeking help for any form of mental anguish, and there are many organisations and charities out there all too willing to help in a sympathetic and considerate manner.
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