The old new theory of modern Russian psychiatry: a biopsychosocial approach (institutional discourse)

The article is discussed («Review of psychiatry and medical psychology named after V.M. Bekhterev». 2020; 2: 3-15), which examines the biopsychosocial model as the theoretical basis (scientific, clinical, preventive, therapeutic) of modern psychiatry, in particular, the biological (genetic) domain.The purpose of the discourse: from the standpoint of philosophy and methodology of science, to determine the place of the biological domain (biomedical research) of the biopsychosocial (biopsychosocial—spiritual) (BPS) approach (theory) in Russian psychiatry, in particular, from the standpoint of the subject of psychiatry and its main section-clinical psychiatry.Based on methodology and philosophy, and based on anthropological and holistic approaches, the biological domain of the BPS model, which is based on clinical psychiatry as a practice and, accordingly, theory, is discussed through the subject of psychiatry as a science. The significance and role of the subject of psychiatry (pathology, disorders, abnormalities of mental activity) in the ICD-10 and the components of the biopsychosocial (model) approach are discussed. There are differences in the domains of the model and the difficulties of clinical diagnosis (multi-axis, functional, multidimensional) and, accordingly, the study of the etiopathogenesis of mental disorders, the "bias" of diagnosis and therapy. The article deals with the neurological component of the biological domain and the "expansion" of neurologists into psychiatry, which leads to hidden antipsychiatry. The author emphasizes the independence, contiguity and two-paradigm nature of psychiatry as a science (with its own unity of subject and its own method of research—clinical and psychopathological). In addition to the interdisciplinarity of clinical neuroscience, it is proposed to be multidisciplinary (for the sections of psychiatry), but the future belongs to the transdisciplinary research methodology.

On the origins of the concept of ‘latent schizophrenia’ in Russian psychiatry

In the mid-twentieth century in the Soviet Union, latent schizophrenia became an important concept and a matter of research and also of punitive psychiatry. This article investigates precursor concepts in early Russian psychiatry of the nineteenth century, and examines whether – as claimed in recent literature – Russian and Soviet research on latent schizophrenia was mainly influenced by the work of Eugen Bleuler.

Outlook of applying of virtual reality (VR) technologies in the treatment of patients with mental disorders (review of foreign literature)

The purpose of the study was to summarize data from foreign studies about the use of virtual reality (VR) technology in the treatment of patients with various mental disorders.Materials and methods: we selected and analyzed articles from MEDLINE / PubMed databases during the period from 2000 till 2020, as well as relevant references in the bibliography of the analyzed articles. 45 articles were included in further analysis from 575 English-language articles.Results: The use of VR technologies in the treatment of mental disorders appears to be one of the promising directions in psychiatry. The successfulness of these methods in patients with eating disorders, anxiety-phobic disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder is supported to be evidentiary information. There is evidence of the effectiveness of such methods in patients with schizophrenia, particularly, one of the most significant results is an increase in social functioning. The absence of side effects data makes it possible to consider t VR therapy as a safe method. It is needed to make further study the areas of application of VR therapy and conduct research to identify possible side effects of this method.Conclusion: The obtained results are important for drawing attention to the prospect of using VR technologies in Russian psychiatry and demonstrate the need for further study of this method.

M.M. Kabanov – the Russian psychiatry rehabilitation system founder (to the celebration of 95 years since birth)

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Psychiatric knowledge in Russia: domestic traditions or scientific facts?

Russian and world psychiatry are characterized by significant differences: the first can be called as the psychiatry of domestic traditions, and the second one as the psychiatry of scientific facts. Russian psychiatry is marked by emphatic devotion to national theoretical schools, an appeal in scientific discussions to the authority of famous psychiatrists of the past, a tendency to speculative psychopathological constructions, the use of archaic psychiatric terms with unclear content, insufficient attention to the principles of evidence-based medicine, or even outright disregard for these principles. The natural consequences of Russian psychiatrys traditionalism are the arbitrariness of psychiatric diagnosis and the frequent use of medicines and treatment methods without proper evidence of their effectiveness and safety.

Zharikov Nikolay in the history of russian psychiatry

Article on the 100th anniversary of the birth of Professor Zharikov N.M.

Perspectives of phenomenological approach in psychiatry: the problem of patient’s understanding

The problem of understanding of patients in modern psychiatry is discussed. Nowadays patients subjective experience is almost entirely excluded from psychiatric manuals that brings risk of ignoring holistic patients experience. This experience can be shared by psychiatrist only in context of mutual trust. The latter as an approach to communication requires certain theoretical background which differs from the current one in modern psychiatry. The phenomenological approach is seen as promising for evolution of psychiatry because this approach was made in the 20th century to descript pathological and everyday experience. We reveal importance of patients subjective experience to diagnostics and description of mental illnesses according to current literature in the field. We also suggest original research of need for understanding in Russian psychiatry professionals.

Alexander Frese and the establishment of psychiatry in the Russian Empire

Previous historiography has already paid particular attention to well-known ‘metropolitan’ biographies of I. Balinsky, V. Bekhterev and others, as well as their role in the establishment of a scientific approach in the treatment of mental illnesses in the Russian Empire. Little attention has been paid to ‘provincial’ physicians and the importance of their scientific activity in bridging the gap between the Russian and European institutions of psychiatry. The primary aim of this article is to show how Alexander Frese’s ‘mobile’ and ‘imperial’ career influenced the emergence of the transnational origins of Russian psychiatry. It describes his travels to foreign psychiatric hospitals, and his subsequent critical assessment of them. I argue that his ideas, which had been formulated during these trips, determined the design of emerging psychiatric institutions (district hospitals) in the Russian Empire.