The course of Philosophy of Psychiatry is part of the program in Cognitive Sciences of Communication and Action (master level) and is included among the characterizing training activities. The course will introduce some topics that arise when we treat psychiatry as a special science and deal with it using the methods and concepts of philosophy of science. This includes discussion of such issues as the explanation, the reduction and the classification of mental disorders.
Upon completion of the course students
- will have gained familiarity with some of the most important philosophical questions raised by mental disorders and our attempts to understand/treat them;
- will be able to critically evaluate different positions on core themes of the course;
- will develop a critical thought on philosophical matters involving mental disorders, and the ability to build rigorous, clear arguments using an appropriate scientific and philosophical vocabulary.
Upon completion of the course students
- will have gained familiarity with some of the most important philosophical questions raised by mental disorders and our attempts to understand/treat them;
- will be able to critically evaluate different positions on core themes of the course;
- will develop a critical thought on philosophical matters involving mental disorders, and the ability to build rigorous, clear arguments using an appropriate scientific and philosophical vocabulary.
teacher profile teaching materials
First part: Analysis of specific cases that illustrate the interaction between psychiatry and cognitive sciences; Exploration of the theoretical and methodological foundations of this interdisciplinary approach.
Second part: Focus on attachment theory as a psychodynamic framework with ethological, cognitive, and evolutionary foundations; Review of classical psychoanalytic concepts through this perspective, including: Emotional regulation mechanisms; Psychological defenses; Trauma; Dissociative phenomena.
This integrated approach creates a bridge between neuroscience, clinical psychiatry, and cognitive psychology, offering a more complete understanding of mental disorders and psychological processes.
J.Y. Tsou, "Philosophy of Psychiatry", Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2022.
D. Murphy, "Psychiatry in the Scientific Image", MIT Press, Cambridge (MA) 2012.
Programme
The course explores the field of cognitive neuropsychiatry (or clinical cognitive neuroscience), analysing the integration between psychiatric disciplines and cognitive sciences. The structure is divided into two main parts:First part: Analysis of specific cases that illustrate the interaction between psychiatry and cognitive sciences; Exploration of the theoretical and methodological foundations of this interdisciplinary approach.
Second part: Focus on attachment theory as a psychodynamic framework with ethological, cognitive, and evolutionary foundations; Review of classical psychoanalytic concepts through this perspective, including: Emotional regulation mechanisms; Psychological defenses; Trauma; Dissociative phenomena.
This integrated approach creates a bridge between neuroscience, clinical psychiatry, and cognitive psychology, offering a more complete understanding of mental disorders and psychological processes.
Core Documentation
For Erasmus students:J.Y. Tsou, "Philosophy of Psychiatry", Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2022.
D. Murphy, "Psychiatry in the Scientific Image", MIT Press, Cambridge (MA) 2012.
Type of evaluation
The verification of learning will take place through an oral test.