Fraud..er...I Meant Freud, Really I Did!

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Sigmund Freud is considered the father of modern psychology but did you know he was actually one pretty messed up guy? He was actually a cocaine addict and developed some horrible theories on treating survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Freud first began using cocaine when he was in his late 20's and continued to do so for at least twelve years. At that time, it was considered a miracle drug and basically a cure all for any possible ailment. He went as far as to even publish an academic paper on the drug's effects. Freud's theories on childhood sexual abuse and women's psychological problems were downright appalling in the end. At first, he believed his female patients when they reported to have been sexually or otherwise abused as your children. He even went as far as to wonder if some of them who didn't report abuse had actually blocked out some memories due to the shock and trauma they caused. After awhile though, he began to change his theory to one far more destructive to his patients. He stated that these women were never actually sexually abused, but that their memories were actually fantasies of things they wished had happened in their childhood. This paved the way for decades of treatment minimizing and negating the effects of childhood trauma on women in mental distress. Freud eventually was stricken with cancer and died after a friend gave him an morphine overdose to end his suffering. His legacy was left behind however in the form of an oppressive environment in psychology towards female patients.