- Paperback: 432 pages
- Publisher: OUP Oxford; 2 edition (25 Mar 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 019851560X
- ISBN-13: 978-0198515609
- Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.6 x 2.8 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,010,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
...an excellent discussion and philosophical critque of the use of the term 'mental disorder'. (The Psychologist )
The first edition of this book published in 1996, is already something of a classic. This second edition... is an excellent book that should be read by any mental health professiona, carer or user of mental health services who is trying to reconcile the myriad explanations put forward as causes of mental illness or justifications for a treatment's efficacy. (Mental Health Today )
From reviews of the previous edition:
This book represents a spirited effort to retain some respect for meaning in human life. It is very well written and eloquently argued. It should be read by all philosophers and by psychologists and psychiatrists interested in the foundations of their discipline. (Psychological Medicine )
Recent work on evolutionary psychology emphasizes the importance of understanding the evolutionary function of cognitive mechanisms in charaterizing mental disorders. Bolton and Hill's account offers an important variant on these new approaches. (The Philosophical Review )
This book succeeds in initiating a genuine process of interaction between the world of mental health and that of philosophy of mind. It is exemplary in its scholarship and clarity. (Peter Fonagy, Freud Memorial Professor, University College, London, and Research Director, Anna Freud Centre )
This book will be a landmark in the philosophy of psychiatry, and should be read by anybody interested in mental disorder or the philosophy of mind. (David Papineau, Professor of Philosophy of Science, Kings College, London )
A meticulously crafted account of meaning and cause which generates a theory of mind rich enough to encompass the wide diversity of human psychopathology. (K. W. M. Fulford, Professor of Philosophy and Mental Health, University of Warwick )
The first edition of this book published in 1996, is already something of a classic. This second edition... is an excellent book that should be read by any mental health professiona, carer or user of mental health services who is trying to reconcile the myriad explanations put forward as causes of mental illness or justifications for a treatment's efficacy. (Mental Health Today )
From reviews of the previous edition:
This book represents a spirited effort to retain some respect for meaning in human life. It is very well written and eloquently argued. It should be read by all philosophers and by psychologists and psychiatrists interested in the foundations of their discipline. (Psychological Medicine )
Recent work on evolutionary psychology emphasizes the importance of understanding the evolutionary function of cognitive mechanisms in charaterizing mental disorders. Bolton and Hill's account offers an important variant on these new approaches. (The Philosophical Review )
This book succeeds in initiating a genuine process of interaction between the world of mental health and that of philosophy of mind. It is exemplary in its scholarship and clarity. (Peter Fonagy, Freud Memorial Professor, University College, London, and Research Director, Anna Freud Centre )
This book will be a landmark in the philosophy of psychiatry, and should be read by anybody interested in mental disorder or the philosophy of mind. (David Papineau, Professor of Philosophy of Science, Kings College, London )
A meticulously crafted account of meaning and cause which generates a theory of mind rich enough to encompass the wide diversity of human psychopathology. (K. W. M. Fulford, Professor of Philosophy and Mental Health, University of Warwick )
Product Description
Philosophical ideas about the mind, brain, and behaviour can seem theoretical and unimportant when placed alongside the urgent questions of mental distress and disorder. However, there is a need to give direction to attempts to answer these questions. On the one hand a substantial research effort is going into the investigation of brain processes and the development of drug treatments for psychiatric disorders, and on the other, a wide range of psychotherapies is becoming available to adults and children with mental health problems. These two strands reflect traditional distinctions between mind and body, and causal as opposed to meaningful explanations of behaviour. In this book, which has been written for psychiatrists, psychologists, philosophers, and others in related fields, the authors propose a radical re-interpretation of these traditional distinctions. Throughout the discussions philosophical theories are brought to bear on the particular questions of the explanation of behaviours, the nature of mental causation, and eventually the origins of major disorders including depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and personality disorder. First published in 1996, this volume played an important role in bridging the gap between philosophy and psychiatry, and introducing those in psychiatry to philosophical ideas somewhat neglected in their field. Completely updated, the new edition of this acclaimed volume draws on the strengths of the first edition, and will be a central text in the burgeoning field of philosophy of psychiatry.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.co.uk.
5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
The Appropriation of Meaning
20 Mar 2006
Format:Paperback
This book represents a significant leap in our understanding of mental disorder. If we existed in a world where society was guided by the latest efforts of sharp thinkers (rather than cost/benefit analysis) then we should be seeing major changes in the existing insitutions that provide care for people with 'mental health problems'. The book begins with the following thesis: Intentional (meaningful) mental states are causal as they can be used in the explanation / prediction of action. They attend to this thesis in the first part of the book. These mental states are not reducible to physical states, rather they are 'encoded' in physical states in the brain, something akin to how information for producing a particular phenotype is encoded in the DNA molecule. Their account solves the following problem: Ever since Karl Jaspers set the limits of understanding, 'true madness' has been excluded from the domain of meaning and relegated to that of biological dysfunction. Thoughout this book Bolton and Hill show how in biology as well as in psychology there are many possiblities for disorder in the absence of any physical dysruption. Disorder can be envisaged as occuring from the intentional stance only if intentional mental states can be construed as having causal power. Their account drives meaning back into previously 'meaningless' phenomena.
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Medical & Healthcare Practitioners > Other Branches of Medicine > Psychiatry
- Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Medical & Healthcare Practitioners > Surgery > Critical Care
- Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Psychology & Psychiatry > Applied Psychology > Clinical Psychology
- Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Psychology & Psychiatry > Specific Topics > Mental Health & Illness
- Books > Science & Nature > Medicine > Diseases & Disorders > Mental Diseases & Disorders
- Books > Science & Nature > Medicine > Medical Sciences A-Z > Accident & Emergency Medicine > Intensive Care
- Books > Science & Nature > Medicine > Medical Sciences A-Z > Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy
- Books > Science & Nature > Medicine > Medical Sciences A-Z > Psychotherapy & Clinical Psychology
- Books > Science & Nature > Reference > Psychology & Psychiatry
- Books > Scientific, Technical & Medical
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Linguistics > Reference
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
