Introductory description

This module introduces key philosophical issues in psychiatry and mental health. It consists of two parts. Weeks 1–5 examine philosophical debates surrounding representative symptoms and phenomena. Questions include: Why does a person believe that their partner has been replaced by an imposter, or that they themselves are dead? Is depression a very low mood? Do people choose to be addicted? Must anorexia nervosa involve a misbelief about body weight? In what sense, if any, is there a mutual lack of understanding between autistic and non-autistic people? Building on the studies from the earlier weeks, Weeks 7–10 focus on broader philosophical questions in the field: What makes one condition, but not another, a mental disorders? How are different levels of explanation—biological, computational, and psychological—related to one another? Are individuals with mental disorders necessarily irrational? To what extent are individuals responsible and blameworthy for their mental disorders and behaviours?

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Week 1. Delusion.

Week 2. Depression.

Week 3. Addiction.

Week 4. Anorexia Nervosa.

Week 5. Autism.

Week 6. (Reading Week).

Week 7. What makes one condition, but not another, a mental disorders?.

Week 8. Causation and Explanation in Psychiatry.

Week 9. Rationality and Irrationality.

Week 10. Responsibility and Blame.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Have a good understanding of key philosophical issues arising from representative psychiatric conditions and of the broader philosophical questions connected with them.
• Employ key concepts used by philosophers to critically evaluate theories of the human mind and action.
• Apply interdisciplinary methods to the investigation of other normal and abnormal human conditions.

Indicative reading list

Reading lists can be found in Talis

Interdisciplinary

In addition to the philosophical literature, the module draws on and critically examines work in psychiatry and mental health, as well as relevant work from other disciplines, including psychology and cognitive science.

International

The philosophical questions examined in this module, along with the related clinical and ethical issues, arise across cultures and national contexts, and the module draws on scholarship, case studies, and debates from a range of global perspectives.

Subject specific skills

Students should be able to communicate clearly and accurately using philosophical language, identify and analyse philosophical questions arising from mental health and psychiatric conditions, and participate independently in philosophical debate.

Transferable skills

(i) The capacity to read complex material effectively and critically.
(ii) The capacity to explain ideas and arguments clearly, briefly and accurately.
(iii) The capacity o think about problems by deploying the capacity for clear thinking and reasoning
(iv) The capacity to communicate effectively in a group environment.