MANAGEMENT OF PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS IN CONTEXT TO CHARAKA SAMHITA- A BRIEF REVIEW

Abstract

Mental health issues have always been the talk of the day amid the hue and cry of an ever-changing world. A 2019 report says that 1 in 8 people in the world are living with one or other mental disorder. 

Even in the Vedik era, mental health was of utmost importance. Ayurveda being a science of life, deals with both physical and mental illnesses. A systematic analysis of the mind can be found in Charak Samhita, written about 200BCE. It talks not only about the functions, location, and characteristics of the mind but also gives a systematic treatment plan to tackle these disorders. Aacharya Charaka goes one step further to explain different ways to keep these conditions at bay. He describes it all in Aachar Rasayana, Sadvritta Palan. Since Ayurveda considers the body as a whole rather than an accumulation of various distinct bodily systems, many treatment options from Yuktivyapashraya Chikitsa work on the imbalance of Manasik Dosha as well as Sharirik Dosha. 

Ayurveda focuses on all aspects of healthy living, physical, mental and spiritual. In Daivavyapashraya Chikitsa, Charaka discussed faith-based interventions. While in Sattvavajaya Chikitsa, the psychotherapeutic route is studied thoroughly. Along with these interventions to manage mental disorders, tools for prevention like Aachara Rasayana, and Sadvritta Palan can prove extremely helpful in leading a healthy life. 

In this article, we have studied Charaka Samhita and referred to various research-based articles depicting the efficacy of Charaka’s way of treating psychiatric disorders.