The Philosophical Defence of Psychiatry

ISBN-13: 9780415035934 / Angielski / Twarda / 1991 / 268 str.

Lawrie Reznek;Lawrie Reznek

Opis

Psychiatry is plagued with philosophical questions. What is a mental illness? Is it different from brain disease? Are criminal or political dissidents mentally ill? Are we all more or less mentally ill? Should we explain abnormal behaviour by reference to psychological forces, learning processes, social factors, or disease processes. This book sets out to answer these questions. Divided broadly into two halves, the first analyses arguments of psychiatry's critics and covers the philosophical ideas of such thinkers as Freud, Eysenck, Laing, Szasz, Sedgewick and Foucault. The second provides a resolution to the problems raised in the first and establishes a philosophical defence of the theory and practice of psychiatry. Dr. Reznek's work is the first book of its kind to provide a comprehensive philosophical account of the main issues in psychiatry, including free will and responsibility, the excusing power of mental illness, and involuntary hospitilization.

By first analysing the arguments of psychiatry's critics and the philosophical ideas of such thinkers as Freud, Eysenck, Laing, Szasz, Sedgwick and Foucault and by then providing answers to the many contentious and diverse questions raised, Dr. Reznek aims to establish a philosophical defence of the theory and practice of psychiatry.
As both a qualified philosopher and psychiatrist, the author is exceptionally p[laced to undertake the examination of a subject which has hitherto remained untackled. It will be easily accessible to a wide variety of non-specialists as well. It will be of specific interest to those involved in the practice of philosophy, psychiatry, clinical psychology, social work and psychiatric nursing.

Spis treści

INTRODUCTION: PSYCHIATRY IN CRISIS The clash of paradigms, The idea of a paradigm, Psychiatry is not a normal science, 1 THE MEDICAL PARADIGM The medical paradigm explained, The virtues of the medical paradigm, Challenges to the medical paradigm, 2 SIGMUND FREUD AND THE PATHOLOGIZING OF NORMALITY The essentialist fallacy, The continuum fallacy, The naturalistic fallacy, The psychodynamic paradigm, 3 HANS EYSENCK AND THE NORMALIZING OF NEUROSIS Learning to be neurotic, Re-educating an illness, The behavioural paradigm. 4 RONALD LAING AND THE RATIONALIZING OF MADNESS Madness is method. The insane society. Laingian paradigms. 5 THOMAS SZASZ AND THE PHYSICALIZING OF DISEASE The dualist fallacy, The organic fallacy, The malfunction fallacy, The computer fallacy, The objective fallacy, The voluntary argument, The game-playing paradigm, 6 PETER SEDGWICK AND THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF ILLNESS Inventing disease, The spectre of cultural relativism, 7 THOMAS SCHEFF AND THE LABELLING OF DEVIANCE Strong labelling theory, Weak labelling theory, Values and relativity. 8 MICHEL FOUCAULT AND THE CIVILIZING OF MADNESS Standard psychiatric history, Foucauldian history, 9 PARADIGMS OF MENTAL ILLNESS, A taxonomy of paradigms, A unified view, The sophisticated medical paradigm 10 THE NATURE OF MENTAL ILLNESS Ethics and nosology, The definition of mental illness, Controversial cases, Boundaries 11 IS PSYCHIATRY A SCIENCE? What is a science? The observation base, Psychiatric explanation, Methodology 12 PSYCHIATRY AND RESPONSIBILITY Mental illness and responsibility, The existence of evil 13 THE PRACTICE OF PSYCHIATRY Involuntary hospitalization, Imposing our values CONCLUSION: THE NATURE OF PSYCHIATRY

O autorze

Lawrie Reznek