Current Mental Health Challenges
There is a unique challenge in how mental health is seen at the present time. Many people think we have more information, knowledge, and wisdom about mental health than ever before. On one hand, there is no doubt that the information and knowledge we have is much greater than in the past. New research using cutting-edge technologies, such as neuroimaging, emerges regularly, adding to the vast amounts of information and knowledge available. On the other hand, it can be a problem to assume an increase in the level of wisdom regarding mental health, given the less-than-ideal outcomes seen in our societies.
Knowledge vs. Wisdom
It’s clear that mental health disorders like anxiety, depression, addictions, PTSD, ADHD, ASD, and others are becoming more common [1], even though we have more information and knowledge about them than ever. Some of this rise is because we diagnose these conditions better, and people feel less stigma about seeking help. But for issues like anxiety and depression, which we’ve understood for a long time, rates have still gone up, even before recent challenges like the pandemic or the rise of social media. This gap between what we know and the results we see makes it worth asking if our information and knowledge are really turning into the wisdom we need to solve these problems.
Lessons from the Past
We might wonder if today’s societies are actually better at using wisdom to address mental health than past generations. Ancient cultures varied in how much they knew and how they managed mental health, but some developed practical ways to understand and ease mental distress that fit their own traditions [2]. Many of these ideas from Indian, Chinese, Greek, Islamic, African, Indigenous, and other cultures are still used today. Some people even believe these societies had better mental health outcomes during their peak than we do now.
Rethinking “Primitive” Societies
I am reminded of a Maclean’s magazine article reviewing a book called The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity, by anthropologist David Graeber and archaeologist David Wengrow [3]. The authors argue against the commonly held belief that ancient civilizations were “primitive” and that our current societies are far more “advanced”. I believe they are making the argument against being “present-ist” (in the same vein as “racist” or “sexist”) about social structures and outcomes. This opens the door to a more egalitarian view of the past. The title of the article, “Our ancient ancestors may have been more civilized than we are,” seems to apply not only to the socio-political and economic factors that the authors focus on, but also to factors of mental health. Research shows that our brains haven’t changed much in the last 10,000 years or so [4]. It’s likely that past cultures found creative and comprehensive ways to deal with mental health challenges, leading to good results for their people. It could help us to remember the wisdom that we have lost from the ages, either in translation or in connection, and bring it back to the present day to help our own modern societies flourish in the area of mental health.
Ancient Wisdom and Modern Mental Health
This blog aims to share ancient approaches and related modern concepts. Posts will explore classical ideas and texts that addressed mental health challenges of their time. I will offer personal interpretations from a mental health perspective, with the hope that these insights will benefit others.
References:
- Global, regional, and national burden of 12 mental disorders in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet Psychiatry, Volume 9, Issue 2, 137 – 150
- Derfuss, M. (n.d.). Mental Health Throughout the Ages: A Brief History and How We Fit into That History — SoundWellness. SoundWellness. Retrieved August 3, 2025, from https://www.soundwellness.biz/blog/2022/7/7/mental-health-throughout-the-ages-a-brief-history-and-how-we-fit-into-that-history
- https://macleans.ca/society/our-ancient-ancestors-may-have-been-more-civilized-than-we-are/
- Did the transition to complex societies in the Holocene drive a reduction in brain size? A reassessment of the DeSilva et al. (2021) hypothesis. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.963568. Volume 10 – 2022. Journal Article @2296-701X
