scholarly journals Rationality in mental disorders

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 13-36
Author(s):  
Valentina Cardella

The idea that mental illnesses are impairments in rationality is very old, and very common (Kasanin 1944; Harvey et al. 2004; Graham 2010). But is it true? In this article two severe mental disorders, schizophrenia and delusional disorder, are investigated in order to find some defects in rationality. Through the analysis of patients’ performances on different tests, and the investigation of their typical reasoning styles, I will show that mental disorders can be deficits in social cognition, or common sense, but not in rationality (Sass 1992; Johnson-Laird et al. 2006; Bergamin 2018). Moreover, my claim is that psychopathological patients can also be, in some circumstances, more logical than normal controls (Kemp et al. 1997; Owen et al. 2007). From a philosophical point of view these data seem to be very relevant, because they help us to reconsider our idea of rationality, and to challenge the common way to look at sanity and mental illness.

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cherrie Galletly ◽  
Ashlee Rigby

Cognitive remediation refers to nonpharmacological methods of improving cognitive function in people with severe mental disorders. Cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) can be delivered via computerised programs, of varying length and complexity, or can be undertaken one-on-one by a trained clinician. There has been a considerable interest in cognitive remediation, driven by recognition that cognitive deficits are a major determinant of outcome in people with severe, chronic mental illnesses. CRT has been shown to be effective, especially if combined with vocational rehabilitation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriano Winterton ◽  
Francesco Bettella ◽  
Ann-Marie G. de Lange ◽  
Marit Haram ◽  
Nils Eiel Steen ◽  
...  

AbstractOxytocin is a neuromodulator and hormone that is typically associated with social cognition and behavior. In light of its purported effects on social cognition and behavior, research has investigated its potential as a treatment for psychiatric illnesses characterized by social dysfunction, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. While the results of these trials have been mixed, more recent evidence suggests that the oxytocin system is also linked with cardiometabolic conditions for which individuals with severe mental disorders are at a higher risk for developing. To investigate whether the oxytocin system has a pleiotropic effect on the etiology of severe mental illness and cardiometabolic conditions, we explored oxytocin’s role in the shared genetic liability of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, type-2 diabetes, and several phenotypes linked with cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes risk using a polygenic pathway-specific approach. Analysis of a large sample with about 480,000 individuals (UK Biobank) revealed statistically significant associations across the range of phenotypes analyzed. By comparing these effects to those of polygenic scores calculated from 100 random gene sets, we also demonstrated the specificity of many of these significant results. Altogether, our results suggest that the shared effect of oxytocin-system dysfunction could help partially explain the co-occurrence of social and cardiometabolic dysfunction in severe mental illnesses.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S153-S153
Author(s):  
I. Khemiri ◽  
F. Fekih Romdhane ◽  
A. Belkhiria ◽  
J. Lamia ◽  
R. Trabelsi ◽  
...  

IntroductionViolence has important relevance for the criminal justice and health care systems especially forensic psychiatry. Previous studies reported the relation between violence, mental illness and substance abuse. We purpose to investigate the association between addiction and violence among people with severe mental illness through a review of literature.Methodwe conducted a Medline and Pubmed literature search of studies published between “2000 and 2015”, combining the terms “psychotic disorders”, “addiction” “substance use disorder”.ResultsThe studies published showed that much of the excessive violence observed in patients with severe psychiatric disorders is due to co-morbid substance use. Increasing violence associated with substance use disorders in these patients had same level than that observed among subjects without severe psychiatric disorders. Increasing violence in subjects with substance use disorder but without severe mental disorders was higher than in patients with only severe mental disorders. In fact, mental disorders could increase the risk of installing on substance use disorders, and therefore increase the risk of partner violence. Among the substances used, if alcohol is frequently identified as a consumer risk for the emergence of violence among subjects with severe psychiatric disorders, stimulants could be causing more violence than alcohol.ConclusionsSevere mental illnesses are associated with violence. However, most of the excess risk appears to be mediated by substance abuse co-morbidity. This finding improves the need of prevention of substance use disorders and emphasizes the fact that patients with severe mental disorders are more often victims than perpetrators of violence.


Author(s):  
Tommaso Boldrini ◽  
Marco Solmi

Historically, the idea of preventing severe mental disorders by intervening in their prodromal stages was first introduced by the psychoanalyst Harry Stack Sullivan. Sullivan (1994) claimed that schizophrenia was the result of maladaptive relationships and experiences, rather than hereditary or biological factors and, as such, could be prevented. (...)


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 46-50
Author(s):  
D.K. Thapa ◽  
N. Lamichhane ◽  
S. Subedi

Introduction: Mental illnesses are commonly linked with a higher disability and burden of disease than many physical illnesses. But despite that fact, it is a general observation that a majority of patients with mental disorder never seek professional help. To elaborate further, the widely prevalent magico-religious beliefs associated with mental illness and lower literacy, poses significant social obstacles in seeking appropriate health care for psychiatric patients. In general, mental illness is seen as related to life stresses, social or family conflicts and evil spirits and the concept of biological causes of mental illness is rare even among the educated. The idea that illness and death are due to malevolent spirits is common notion that is shared practically by all level of society from the so-called primitive to modern industrialized societies, thus indicating the strong influences of cultural background. When there is a magico- religious concepts of disease causation, there is tendency to consult indigenous healers. Therefore, the patients with mental illness often either visit or are taken to faith healers by their relatives. The objective of the study was to determine the various psychiatric cases that were referred by the traditional faith healers to the authors. Material and Method: This is a cross- sectional, hospital- based descriptive study, conducted at the Psychiatric outpatient department of Pokhara Om Hospital, Pokhara, Kaski, Nepal for the period of one year, from June 2016 to May 2017. The total of 35 cases, referred by the traditional faith healers was included in the study. Subjects of any age, any gender, any literacy level, any caste, from any locality and religious background were included in the study after their consent. Subjects who refused to consent were not included in the study. The psychiatric diagnosis was based on the complete history and examination and ICD- 10 DRC criteria. Results: Though the sample size is small, it is interesting to note that patients with various kinds of mental disorders were referred by traditional faith healers. There were patients suffering from neurotic disorders, psychotic disorders, mood disorders, seizure, substance use disorder, intellectual disability etc seeking the treatment from traditional faith healers. Among the cases referred, predominantly were female and neurotic cases. Most patients were educated. Conclusion: The study shows that patients with various mental disorders visit traditional faith healer. This area surely requires further in-depth look as traditional faith healers can be an important source of referral of psychiatric patients.


2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosalind Ramsay ◽  
Sarah Welch ◽  
Elizabeth Youard

Women patients suffer from a range of mental disorders similar to those that men may experience. However, there are some striking differences in the prevalence of specific disorders, and in their presentation and management. Some mental illnesses only occur in women. It seems that women patients may have a different experience of treatment, a consequence of differences in their needs and also of the way that health professionals perceive those needs. These differences are embedded in the wider cultural milieu in which we live. There are particular issues for women patients in relation to, for example, childhood sexual abuse, rape and domestic violence. At present, tools to measure needs of individual patients are generally not gender specific.


CNS Spectrums ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 638-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel A. Dvoskin ◽  
James L. Knoll ◽  
Mollie Silva

This article traces the history of the way in which mental disorders were viewed and treated, from before the birth of Christ to the present day. Special attention is paid to the process of deinstitutionalization in the United States and the failure to create an adequately robust community mental health system to care for the people who, in a previous era, might have experienced lifelong hospitalization. As a result, far too many people with serious mental illnesses are living in jails and prisons that are ill-suited and unprepared to meet their needs.


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Mühlhölzer

AbstractIn the first sentence of PI § 263 - “»Surely I can (inwardly) resolve to call THIS ›pain‹ in the future.«” - Wittgenstein uses the word “pain” and not, as one would expect, the sign “S” of §§ 258, 260 and 261 because this sentence is voiced by a common sense person who doesn’t yet see the deep difference between “S” and “pain” as it is demonstrated in the sections before. The subsequent twofold question - “»But is it certain that you have resolved this? Are you sure that it was enough for this purpose to concentrate your attention on your feeling?«” - is Wittgenstein’s own question, induced by his philosophical considerations before, but now seen from the point of view of the common sense person with whom Wittgenstein temporarily identifies himself. He looks at the philosopher Wittgenstein with the eyes of the common sense person Wittgenstein. This explains why not only the first sentence of § 263 but also the subsequent question is put in quotation marks. It furthermore explains why Wittgenstein writes at the end: “An odd question.” From a common sense standpoint the question certainly sounds odd. What does the dash at the end of § 263 mean? According to the interpretation just given, it may be understood as follows: the dashes before and after “An odd question” can be read as quotation marks indicating that this remark is voiced by the common sense Wittgenstein in response to the philosopher Wittgenstein.


Author(s):  
Filippo Ferrari

This chapter aims to present the obstacles both scholars and practitioners must overcome in facing organizational change. Indeed, too often practitioners lack any rigorous evidence-based background and rely on their previous experience and common sense. At the same time, scholars too often work in a very separated academic world, thus ignoring the actual problems that professionals face in actual firms. Being both a scholar and a practitioner, the author highlights the common challenges likely to be faced by change agents when facilitating organizational change: recognizing the readiness of the involved people to change, their skill mismatch, their previous change history, and the level of cynicism. A fully reflective change agent must consider these factors in designing and implementing an evidence-based organizational change and development (EBOCD) initiative and change agency process if he or she wishes to achieve positive outcomes both from the organizational and the involved people's point of view.


1970 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yelsi Wanti ◽  
Efri Widianti ◽  
Nita Fitria

Keluarga yang merawat anggota keluarga dengan gangguan jiwa sering mengalami stres karena perilaku anggota keluarga yang mengalami gangguan jiwa dan stigma yang melekat pada keluarga. Keluarga akan melakukan strategi koping untuk mengatasi stres yang dialami. Tujuan Penelitian ini adalah untuk mengidentifikasi strategi koping keluarga dalam merawat anggota keluarga yang menderita gangguan jiwa berat di rumah di Desa Sukamaju dan Desa Kersamanah Kecamatan Kersamanah Kabupaten Garut. Jenis penelitian ini adalah deskriptif kuantitatif dengan jumlah responden sebanyak 43 orang anggota keluarga yang merawat pasien gangguan jiwa berat, diambil dengan total sampling. Data penelitian diambil menggunakan kuesioner dari instrumen baku Ways Of Coping (WOC) dan analisis data yang digunakan dalam bentuk persentase. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan sebagian dari responden yaitu 20 orang (47%) lebih cenderung menggunakan emotional focused coping, sebagian kecil responden yaitu 13 orang (30%) cenderung menggunakan problem focused coping dan sebagian kecil responden lainnya yaitu 10 orang (23%) dominan menggunakan problem focused coping dan emotional focused coping secara bersamaan. Simpulan dari penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa keluarga dalam merawat pasien gangguan jiwa berat di rumah melakukan usaha untuk menghadapi stres dengan cara mengatur respon emosionalnya untuk menyesuaikan diri dari dampak yang ditimbulkan oleh pasien. Hasil penelitian ini diharapkan dapat memberikan masukan bagi perawat di puskesmas setempat untuk memberikan konsultasi dan konseling bagi keluarga dalam merawat pasien gangguan jiwa berat di rumah.Kata kunci: Gangguan jiwa berat, keluarga, strategi koping. Describe Of Family Coping Strategies In CaringFamily Members Suffering From Severe Mental DisordersAbstractFamilies who care for family members with mental illness often stresor due to the behavior of family members with mental illness and the stigma attached to the family. The family will do the coping strategies to overcome the stres experienced. The study purpose is to identify family coping strategies in caring for family members who suffer from severe mental disorders at home in Sukamaju and Kersamanah Villages in District of Garut. This design of study is quantitative descriptive with the number of respondents about 43 family members who care for patients with severe mental disorders, using total sampling. The data were taken using a questionnaire of raw instrument Ways Of Coping (WOC) and data analysis used form of a percentage. The results showed the majority of respondents, 20 people (47%) were more likely to use emotional focused coping, a small portion 13 respondents (30%) tend to use problem focused coping and a small portion 10 respondents (23%) predominantly use problem focused coping and emotional focused coping simultaneously. The conclusions of this study indicate that the family in caring for patients with severe mental disorders at home to make efforts to deal with stres by regulating the emotional response to adjust from the impact caused by the patient. The results of this study are expected to provide input for a nurse at a Health care to provide consultation and counseling for families in caring for patients with disorders severe mental at home.Keywords: Coping strategies, family, severe mental disorders.


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