Introduction

Author(s):  
K.W.M. Fulford ◽  
Martin Davies ◽  
Richard G.T. Gipps ◽  
George Graham ◽  
John Z. Sadler ◽  
...  

Following on from Section IV on summoning concepts, this section of theHandbookpresents theoretically informed descriptions of psychopathologies. The topics of the chapters range from anxiety, depression, and body image disorders, through emotion and affective disorders, to delusion, thought insertion, and the fragmentation of consciousness. These phenomena call, not only for assessment and diagnosis (see Section VI), but also for understanding on the part of both the engaged clinician and the philosophical commentator. They also provide case studies for general philosophical questions about different levels of description and conceptualisation and the relationships between them, and about the contributions to psychological understanding that are made by phenomenology, clinical expert knowledge, and the sciences of the mind.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1354067X2110257
Author(s):  
Mariusz Wołońciej ◽  
Michał Wilczewski ◽  
Shulamith Kreitler

Psychology and psychiatry are in a constant search for an adequate model of affective disorders. Psychology has classified depression as a mood disorder, but a growing literature links mental disorders with socioculturally relevant ways in which people experience and express distress. With this study, we link depression with proverbs as omnipresent narrative structures and mini-theories that help people interpret reality and categorize personal experience. Proverbs are omnipresent narrative structures that describe, explain, and prescribe human behavior. Hence, we offer a paremiological approach to better understand the minds of the depressed. Our tenet is that proverbs may also reflect people’s mental states and attitudes by conveying different levels of optimism versus pessimism. We evidence empirically that proverbs convey optimistic and pessimistic attitudes and, thus, have the capacity to capture peoples’ mental states. Moreover, we show that this capacity is limited for people with high depressiveness. Finally, we discuss how proverbial thinking links collective experience and wisdom imprinted in proverbs with an individual’s mental states, which has important research and practical implications.


2002 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 165-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Isabel R Matos ◽  
Luciana S Aranha ◽  
Alessandra N Faria ◽  
Sandra R G Ferreira ◽  
Josué Bacaltchuck ◽  
...  

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to assess the frequency of Binge Eating Disorder (BED) or Binge Eating episodes (BINGE), anxiety, depression and body image disturbances in severely obese patients seeking treatment for obesity. METHOD: We assessed 50 patients (10M and 40F) with Body Mass Index (BMI) between 40 and 81.7 Kg/m² (mean 52.2±9.2 Kg/m²) and aging from 18 to 56 years (mean 38.5±9.7). Used instruments: Questionnaire on Eating and Weight Patterns <FONT FACE=Symbol>¾</FONT> Revised (QEWP-R) for BED or BINGE assessment, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for depressive symptoms, State - Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-TRAIT and STAI-STATE) for anxiety and Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) for body image assessments. RESULTS: In this population BED and BINGE frequencies were 36% and 54%, respectively. Symptoms of depression were detected in 100% while severe symptomatology was found in 84% of the cases. The frequency of anxiety as a trait was 70%, as a state, 54% and 76% of all patients reported discomfort regarding body image. The frequency of BED was higher in patients with higher anxiety scores as a personality trait (>40) but not as a state (46% vs. 13%; p<0,05). A high frequency of BINGE was found in those with higher scores (>140) in the BSQ assessment. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate a high frequency of binge eating episodes, severe depressive symptoms, anxiety and concern with body image in grade III obesity patients.


Author(s):  
Emilio Franzoni ◽  
Alberto Verrotti ◽  
Gualandi ◽  
Caretti ◽  
Adriano Schimmenti ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Vinod Kumar ◽  
Shree Raksha Bhide ◽  
Rashmi Arasappa ◽  
Shivarama Varambally ◽  
Bangalore N. Gangadhar

SUMMARY Meditation, a component of ashtanga yoga, is an act of inward contemplation in which the mind fluctuates between a state of attention to a stimulus and complete absorption in it. Some forms of meditation have been found to be useful for people with psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, depression and substance use disorder. Evidence for usefulness of meditation for people with psychotic disorders is mixed, with reported improvements in negative symptoms but the emergence/precipitation of psychotic symptoms. This article narrates the benefits of meditation in psychiatric disorders, understanding meditation from the yoga perspective, biological aspects of meditation and practical tips for the practice of meditation. We also explain possible ways of modifying meditative practices to make them safe and useful for the patient population and useful overall as a society-level intervention.


Author(s):  
G. A. Cohen

This chapter examines G. W. F. Hegel's dialectic of the master and the slave which he articulated in his book Phenomenology of Spirit and how it is related to his general philosophy. Hegel thought that everything the mind, any mind, experiences is in some sense a product of mind itself. One way of explaining how he arrived at this strange idea is by describing how he responded to the thought of Immanuel Kant. Kantian philosophy features a set of dualities or oppositions, such as those between freedom and necessity, between the sensibility and the understanding, between the analytic and the synthetic, and between the infinite and the finite. Whereas Kant loved dichotomies, Hegel abhorred ultimate dichotomies in the scheme of things. The chapter considers some tenets of Absolute Idealism in order to elucidate some of the more general philosophical questions with which Hegel was concerned in the course of his master/slave discussion.


Author(s):  
Maria Luísa Ribeiro Ferreira ◽  

In this article we summarize the central thesis of A. Damásio in his book Descartes' Error. We appreciate the scientifical interest of this work but we criticize the way some philosophical questions are stated, namely the concept of reason and Descartes’ contribution to the mind - body problem. When Damásio accuses Descartes of being guilty for sustaining a «disimbodied mind», he forgets the works where this philosopher explores the mind-body interaction and his broad concept of thinking as including feeling and will. Therefore, we question the title of this work and the false expectations it can produce on his readers.


Author(s):  
Margaret A. Boden

Suppose that future AGI systems equalled human performance. Would they have real intelligence, real under-standing, real creativity? Would they have selves, moral standing, free choice? Would they be conscious? And without consciousness, could they have any of those other properties? ‘But is it intelligence, really?’ considers these philosophical questions, suggesting some answers that are more reasonable than others. It looks at concepts such as the Turing Test; the many problems of consciousness; the studies of AI-inspired philosophers Paul Churchland, Daniel Dennett, and Aaron Sloman; virtual machines and the mind–body problem, and moral responsibility. It concludes that no one knows, for sure, whether an AGI could really be intelligent.


2008 ◽  
Vol 26 (24) ◽  
pp. 3943-3949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne Brandberg ◽  
Kerstin Sandelin ◽  
Staffan Erikson ◽  
Göran Jurell ◽  
Annelie Liljegren ◽  
...  

Purpose To prospectively evaluate body image, sexuality, emotional reactions (anxiety, depression), and quality of life in a sample of women having increased risk for breast cancer before and 6 months and 1 year after bilateral prophylactic mastectomy (BPM), and to compare preoperative expectations of the operation with postoperative reactions concerning the impact on six areas of the women's lives. Patients and Methods A total of 90 of 98 consecutive women who underwent BPM during October 1997 to December 2005 were included. Data were collected by self-administered questionnaires (eg, Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale, Swedish Short Term-36 Health Survey, Body Image Scale, Sexual Activity Questionnaire) before the operation (n = 81), and 6 (n = 71) and 12 months (n = 65) after BPM. Results Anxiety decreased over time (P = .0004). No corresponding difference was found for depression. No differences in health-related quality of life over time were found, with one exception. A substantial proportion of the women reported problems with body image 1 year after BPM (eg, self consciousness, 48%; feeling less sexually attractive, 48%; and dissatisfaction with the scars, 44%). Sexual pleasure was rated lower 1-year post-BPM as compared with before operation (P = .005), but no differences over time in habit, discomfort, or activity were found. Conclusion No negative effects on anxiety, depression, and quality of life were found. Anxiety and social activities improved. Negative impact on sexuality and body image was reported.


1994 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne C. Petersen ◽  
Nancy Leffert ◽  
Barbara Graham ◽  
Shuai Ding ◽  
Terrence Overbey

Author(s):  
Nusrat Bano ◽  
Muhammad Anwar Khan ◽  
Uzma Asif ◽  
Jennifer de Beer ◽  
Hawazen Rawass ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: To assess the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress in medical students, and to analyse effects of demographics and nomophobia on depression, anxiety and stress. Method: The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from April 1 to May 23, 2019, and comprised male and female medical students aged 19-25 years. Data was collected using a demographic information form, the 21-item depression, anxiety and stress scale and the 20-item nomophobia questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS 20. Results: Of the 230 students, 108(47%) were boys and 122 (53%) were girls. The overall mean age was 21.93+1.80 years. Anxiety, depression and stress was reported in 168 (74.6%), 158 (70.2%) and 127 (55.9%) of the students. Extremely severe anxiety, depression and stress were self-reported by 92 (40.9%), 38 (16.8%) and 16 (7.04%) students. There was a significant difference in the distribution of subjects within different levels of anxiety across gender (p<0.05).  Higher anxiety and stress scores were observed in 78 (33.9%) students with severe nomophobia. Differences in the levels of anxiety and stress with regards to type of residence and nomophobia levels were significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: There was high prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress associated with gender, nomophobia levels and residence type. Key Words: Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Medical, Nomophobia.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document