From Melancholy to Depressive Illness– The Treatment of Depression across the Centuries
Back in March 2023 a blue plaque was installed for Dr Nathaniel Cotton. He was an 18th-century poet and a medical doctor, who was a pioneer in the treatment of mental health, developing an early form of clinical psychology at a time when many with mental illness were being locked up in appalling institutions like the notorious ‘Bedlam’, St Mary of Bethlehem Royal Hospital, in London.
Nathaniel’s approach to mental health treatment emphasised kindness, understanding, and moral guidance rather than harsh disciplinary measures which were commonly used at the time. He advocated the humane treatment of mentally ill individuals and challenged the prevailing view that they were incurable. The event will start with a short introduction to Nathaniel by Professor Tim Boatswain, followed by the keynote speaker Florian Ruths, a Consultant Psychiatrist at the Maudsley Hospital in London. He is a specialist in the treatment of anxiety and depression, and an accredited trainer in Cognitive Behavioural Therapies (CBT) which is a type of talking therapy. CBT includes Mindfulness-Based approaches, all of which are innovative treatments for depression. He will explain what works nowadays for mental health problems, what we have learnt over time, and how Nathaniel Cotton taught us the empathy that modern services so desperately
This is a fund-raising event for the voluntary body Blue Plaques St Albans.
Attendees are asked to donate £10 at the door