Mind, Meaning, and Mental Disorder: The Nature of Causal Explanation in Psychology and Psychiatry (International Perspectives in Philosophy and Psychiatry)

Philosophical ideas about the mind, brain, and behavior can seem theoretical and unimportant when placed alongside the urgent questions of mental distress and disorder. However, there is a need to give direction to attempts to answer these questions. On the one hand a substantial research effort in going into the investigation of brain processes and the development of drug treatments for psychiatric disorders, and on the other, a wide range of psychotherapies is becoming available to adults and children with mental health problems. These two strands reflect traditional distinctions between mind and body, and causal as opposed to meaningful explanations of behavior. In this book, which has been written for psychiatrists, psychologists, philosophers, and others in related fields, the authors propose a radical re-interpretation of these traditional distinctions. Throughout the discussions philosophical theories are brought to bear on the particular questions of the explanation of behaviors, the nature of mental causation, and eventually the origins of major disorders including depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and personality disorder. First published in 1996, this volume played an important role in bridging the gap between philosophy and psychiatry, and introducing those in psychiatry to philosophical ideas somewhat neglected in their field. Completely updated, the new edition of this acclaimed volume draws on the strengths of the first edition, and will be a central text in the burgeoning field of philosophy of psychiatry. "In the 1960s a radical concept emerged from the great French thinker Jacques Derrida. He called the new process 'deconstruction'. Rewriting the ways in which we use language and literature, deconstruction affected every form of intellectual thought, from literary criticism to popular culture. It also criticized the entire tradition of western philosophy, from Plato to Bataille. The academic community was rocked on a scale hitherto unknown, with Writing and Difference attracting both accolades and derision. Whatever the response, deconstruction is here to stay. Read the book that changed the way we think; read Writing and Difference, the classic introduction."--Jacket 1. Mind, Meaning, And The Explanation Of Action -- 2. Mind, Meaning, And Neural Causation -- 3. Relativity -- 4. Functional Semantics -- 5. Two Forms Of Causality In Biological And Psychological Processes -- 6. Intentional Causality, Neurobiology And Development -- 7. Psychiatric Disorder And Its Explanation -- 8. Intentionality In Disorder -- 9. Psychiatric Conditions. Derek Bolton, Jonathan Hill. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Drawing on philosophical theory and theoretical science, this volume played an important role in bridging the gap between philosophy and psychiatry, and introducing those in psychiatry to philosophical ideas somewhat neglected in their field. This edition addresses key issues in the philosophy of psychiatry