If it was believed by the patient that they had gone mad for spiritual reasons like demonic possession, the approach to curing the patient was entirely different.
Firstly, the black bile on which the demons thrive on dehydrate the body, as they are cold and dry by nature. A cure for this was to take warm baths to try and rehydrate the body, which was also seen as washing away the persons sins. Patients suffering from mental illness might also be beaten to try to drive the demons out of the body. This was also used to try to get a patient to admit their sins, which might also help in curing their madness (Barnett).
Scented substances such as mint, basil, and lemon were also left beside the bed of a sick patient in an attempt to ward away any unwanted spirits (Barnett).
It was also believed that a patient that admits their sins would be forgiven by God, and they would in turn be cured of their melancholy (Barnett).
A method that priests would initially try was to persuade the demon out of the persons body. If this did not work, the priest would then attempt to insult the demon out of the patients body. If all else failed, the person would be made as uncomfortable as possible so that the demon would no longer wish to be there. This might include immersion in hot water, or in sulfur fumes (Brown and Menninger).
Another treatment that was used for a patient that was believed to be occupied by a demon was by exorcism. The Catholic church strongly believed in its powers to expell demons from a patients body and would use it wherever needed (Sluhovsky).
Firstly, the black bile on which the demons thrive on dehydrate the body, as they are cold and dry by nature. A cure for this was to take warm baths to try and rehydrate the body, which was also seen as washing away the persons sins. Patients suffering from mental illness might also be beaten to try to drive the demons out of the body. This was also used to try to get a patient to admit their sins, which might also help in curing their madness (Barnett).
Scented substances such as mint, basil, and lemon were also left beside the bed of a sick patient in an attempt to ward away any unwanted spirits (Barnett).
It was also believed that a patient that admits their sins would be forgiven by God, and they would in turn be cured of their melancholy (Barnett).
A method that priests would initially try was to persuade the demon out of the persons body. If this did not work, the priest would then attempt to insult the demon out of the patients body. If all else failed, the person would be made as uncomfortable as possible so that the demon would no longer wish to be there. This might include immersion in hot water, or in sulfur fumes (Brown and Menninger).
Another treatment that was used for a patient that was believed to be occupied by a demon was by exorcism. The Catholic church strongly believed in its powers to expell demons from a patients body and would use it wherever needed (Sluhovsky).