Philosophy of Psychiatry: A re-examination of the concept of mental illness

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24300293
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Sociology/History of science and technology
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: ISHIHARA Kohji 東京大学, 総合文化研究科, 准教授 (30291991)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): NOBUHARA Yukihiro 東京大学, 大学院総合文化研究科, 教授 (10180770) ; KONO Tetsuya 立教大学, 文学部, 教授 (60384715) ; SUZUKI Akihito 慶應義塾大学, 経済学部, 教授 (80296730) ; KITANAKA Junko 慶應義塾大学, 文学部, 准教授 (20383945) ; KUMAGAYA Shinichiro 東京大学, 先端科学技術研究センター, 准教授 (00574659) ; ITOKAWA Masanari 東京都総合医学研究所, 精神行動医学研究分野, 病院等連携研究センター長 (40332324)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): ISHIGAKI Takuma 東京大学, 総合文化研究科, 教授 (70323920) ; KASAI Kiyoto 東京大学, 医学部附属病院, 教授 (80322056) ; MUKAIYACHI Ikuyoshi 北海道医療大学, 看護福祉学部, 教授 (00364266)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 精神医学 / 科学哲学 / 精神疾患 / 精神障害 / 当事者研究 / 現象学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This project re-examined the concept of mental illness against the backdrop of the current changes in psychiatry in 4 research fields: (A) studying the changes in views regarding mental illness due to developments in biological psychiatry and cognitive therapy; (B) understanding the symptoms of mental illness from the perspectives of phenomenology, the theory of action, and cognitive philosophy; (C) conducting historical and theoretical investigation of diagnosis; and (D) understanding mental illness from the perspectives of the patients, their families, and any other support groups using community studies and disability studies. The results of the study were published in 15 papers and 59 oral presentations. Moreover, a 3-volume book series (in Japanese) called "Philosophy of Psychiatry" is in preparation (to be published in 2016).

Free Research Field

科学技術哲学、現象学