The history of mental symptoms : Descriptive psychopathology since the ninetheenth century

"This important book, written by a psychiatrist-historian, traces the genesis of the descriptive categories of psychopathology and examines their interaction with the psychological and philosophical context within which they arose. The author explores particularly the language and ideas that have characterized descriptive psychopathology from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. He presents a masterful survey of the history of the main psychiatric symptoms, from the metaphysics of classical antiquity to the operational criteria of today. Tracing the evolution of concepts such as memory, consciousness, will and personality, and of symptoms ranging from catalepsy and aboulia to anxiety and self-harm, this book provides fascinating insights into the subjective nature of mental illness, and into the ideas of British, Continental and American authorities who have clarified and defined it."--CUP Since psychiatry remains a descriptive discipline, it is essential for its practitioners to understand how the language of psychiatry came to be formed. This important book, written by a psychiatrist-historian, traces the genesis of the descriptive categories of psychopathology and examines their interaction with the psychological and philosophical context within which they arose. The author explores particularly the language and ideas that have characterised descriptive psychopathology from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. He presents a masterful survey of the history of the main psychiatric symptoms, from the metaphysics of classical antiquity to the operational criteria of today. Tracing the evolution of concepts such as memory, consciousness, will and personality, and of symptoms ranging from catalepsy and aboulia to anxiety and self-harm, this book provides fascinating insights into the subjective nature of mental illness, and into the ideas of British, Continental and American authorities who sought to clarify and define it This Important Book Traces The Genesis Of The Descriptive Categories Of Psychopathology And Examines Their Interaction With The Psychological And Philosophical Context Within Which They Arose. Pt. I. The Object Of Inquiry. Ch. 1. Matters Historical. Ch. 2. Descriptive Psychopathology -- Pt. Ii. Cognition And Consciousness. Ch. 3. Disorders Of Perception. Ch. 4. Thought Disorder. Ch. 5. Delusions. Ch. 6. Obsessions And Compulsions. Ch. 7. Mental Retardation. Ch. 8. Cognitive Impairment. Ch. 9. Memory And Its Disorders. Ch. 10. Consciousness And Its Disorders -- Pt. Iii. Mood And Emotions. Ch. 11. Anxiety And Cognate Disorders. Ch. 12. Affect And Its Disorders. Ch. 13. The Anhedonias -- Pt. Iv. Volition And Action. Ch. 14. The Will And Its Disorders. Ch. 15. Feelings Of Fatigue. Ch. 16. Catalepsy, Catatonia And Stupor. Ch. 17. Tremor, Rigidity, Akathisia And Stereotypy -- Pt. V. Miscellany. Ch. 18. Personality And Its Disorders. Ch. 19. Self-harm. German E. Berrios. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 455-533) And Indexes. La obra presenta en forma destacada la historia de los principales sntomas psiquitricos, y a travs de sta el autor permite que el lector descubra, entre otros temas, dnde y cmo se describieron por vez primera los diferentes sntomas de la patologa mental, as como el marco en el que surgieron esas descripciones y las sucesivas modificaciones que han experimentado en el curso del tiempo. Al seguir la evolucin de conceptos como memoria, conciencia, voluntad y personalidad, y de sntomas que van de la catalepsia a la ansiedad, las pginas de esta obra permiten adentrarse en la naturaleza de las enfermedades mentales. Coleccin: PSICOLOGA, PSIQUIATRA Y PSICOANLISIS rea temtica: PSIQUIATRIA Y PSICOLOGA "German Berrios's history of descriptive psychopathology, a tour de force of multilingual erudition, surveys the sources, provides a perceptive analysis and offers some broad reflections on the Herculean enterprise of mapping a sea of troubles ... he has put us deeply in his debt with a remarkable account of the mappings of the mind through a study that transcends the private technicalities of psychiatry to shed light on the changing representations of the Western psyche itself."--Roy Porter, Nature "German Berrios's The History of Mental Symptoms: Descriptive Psychopathology Since the Nineteenth Century is a brilliant tour de force ... Berrios has gone a long way in filling this gap with a major work that speaks not only to historians but also to mental health practitioners and researchers."--Joel Braslow, Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences " ... Fascinating book on the history of mental symptoms ... A very useful, easily read, and coherent book for graduate students and professionals in psychopathology or mental illness studies."--Choice