The Disordered Mind: An Introduction to Philosophy of Mind and Mental Illness

by Graham; George

• ISBN13: 9780415774727
• ISBN10: 0415774721
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2010-02-23
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

"George Graham is contemporary philosophy#xE2;#xAC;"s most gifted and humane writer. The Disordered Mindis a wise, deep, and thorough inquiry into the nature of the human mind and the various #xE2;#xAC;#xDC;creaks, cracks, and crevices#xE2;#xAC;" into which it is prone sometimes to wander." Owen Flanagan, Duke University, USA "The book is a success, it is consistently insightful and humane, and conveys a clear understanding not only of relevant philosophical topics, but also of a much more difficult issue, the relevance of those topics to understanding mental illness." Philip Gerrans, University of Adelaide, Australia "The Disordered Mindis a must read for anyone who is a psychiatrist, psychologist, philosopher, neurologist, or mental health worker. Indeed, it is a must read for any thoughtful person who simply desires to understand more deeply and more realistically the workings of their own mind as well as the workings of the human mind in general." Richard Garrett, Bentley University, USA #xE3;#xAC;#xAC; Mental disorder raises profound questions about the nature of the mind. The Disordered Mind: An Introduction to Philosophy of Mind and Mental Illnessis the first book to systematically examine and explain, from a philosophical standpoint, what mental disorder is: its reality, causes, consequences, and more. It is also an outstanding introduction to philosophy of mind from the perspective of mental disorder. Each chapter explores a central question or problem about mental disorder, including: What is mental disorder and can it be distinguished from neurological disorder? What roles should reference to psychological, cultural, and social factors play in the medical/scientific understanding of mental disorder? What makes mental disorders undesirable? Are they diseases? Mental disorder and the mind#xE2;#xAC;#x1C;body problem Is mental disorder a breakdown of rationality? What is a rational mind? Addiction, responsibility and compulsion Ethical dilemmas posed by mental disorder, including questions of dignity and self-respect. Each topic is clearly explained and placed in both a clinical and philosophical context. Mental disorders discussed include clinical depression, dissociative identity disorder, anxiety, religious delusions, and paranoia. Several non-mental neurological disorders that possess psychological symptoms are also examined, including Alzheimer#xE2;#xAC;"s disease, Down#xE2;#xAC;"s syndrome, and Tourette#xE2;#xAC;"s syndrome. Additional features, such as chapter summaries and annotated further reading, provide helpful tools for those coming to the subject for the first time. Throughout, George Graham draws expertly on issues that cut across philosophy, science, and psychiatry. As such, The Disordered Mindis a superb introduction to the philosophy of mental disorder for students of philosophy, psychology, psychiatry, and related mental health professions. George Grahamis Professor of Philosophy and Neuroscience at Georgia State University, USA, and a past president of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology. He is co-author and co-editor of the Oxford Textbook of Philosophy and Psychiatry(2006). #xE3;#xAC;#xAC; PHILOSOPHY/PSYCHOLOGY

Author Biography

George Graham is Professor of Philosophy and Neuroscience at Georgia State University, USA, and a past president of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology. He is co-author and co-editor of the Oxford Textbook of Philosophy and Psychiatry (2006).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Preface	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
Stability and instability	p. 1
One brief history	p. 4
What is this book about?	p. 7
Topics and themes	p. 11
Chapter summary and suggested readings	p. 16
Conceiving mental disorder	p. 19
Mental disorder has consequences	p. 19
What should a theory of mental disorder do?	p. 20
The mind of mental disorder	p. 29
Exemplars of mental disorder	p. 36
Roles of the mental in mental disorder	p. 40
Chapter summary and suggested readings	p. 43
The disorder of mental disorder	p. 45
What makes mental disorder undesirable?	p. 45
Morally therapeutic interlude and lure of the disease model	p. 48
Are mental disorders diseases?	p. 53
A problematic disorder and the place of DSM	p. 63
Chapter summary and suggested readings	p. 69
On being skeptical about mental disorder	p. 71
Mental disorder and the mind/body problem	p. 72
Mental disorder and respect for persons	p. 89
Chapter summary and suggested readings	p. 97
Seeking norms for mental disorder	p. 99
Despair, depression and disorder	p. 99
Anxiety and DSM	p. 102
Cultural conventionalism	p. 108
Mind maladapted	p. 113
Rationality and Internationality	p. 117
Logic of its own	p. 127
A brief on incapacities and disabilities	p. 131
Chapter summary and suggested readings	p. 134
An original position	p. 137
Social order, mental order and veils of ignorance	p. 139
The importance of conscious experience	p. 142
Basic psychological capacities	p. 145
A concept of mental disorder	p. 156
Chapter summary and suggested readings	p. 156
Addiction and responsibility for self	p. 159
Impulse, inhibition and responsibility for self	p. 162
Compulsion and addiction	p. 166
Animal models	p. 172
Neural models	p. 174
One way in which the brain may gum up the works	p. 179
Chapter summary and suggested readings	p. 184
Reality lost and found	p. 187
Symptom and schizophrenia	p. 187
Grand delusions	p. 193
Delusion and self-comprehension	p. 203
Realism among the ruins?	p. 211
Paranoia, benevolence and imagination	p. 214
Chapter summary and suggested readings	p. 222
Minding the missing me	p. 225
Me, myself and my selves	p. 225
'I am dead' but don't mean it	p. 239
Self-serving in a supermarket	p. 244
Chapter summary and suggested readings	p. 253
Epilogue: the final affliction - Copenhagen interpretation	p. 255
Bibliography	p. 267
Index	p. 283
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