Reconceiving Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia arguably is the most troubling, puzzling, and complex mental illness. No single discipline is equipped to understand it. Though schizophrenia has been investigated predominately from psychological, psychiatric and neurobiological perspectives, few attempts have been made to apply the tool kit of philosophy to schizophrenia, the mix of global analysis, conceptual insight, and argumentative clarity that is indicative of a philosophical perspective. This book is a major effort at redressing that imbalance. Recent developments in the area of philosophy known as the philosophy of psychiatry have made it clear that it is time for philosophy to contribute to our understanding of schizophrenia. The range of contributions is many and varied. Some contributors are professional philosophers; some not. Some contributions focus on matters of method and history. Others argue for dramatic reforms in our understanding of schizophrenia or its symptoms. The authors in this book are committed to the idea that philosophy can indeed help to understand schizophrenia in a way which is different from but complements traditional medical-clinical approaches. The book should appeal to every reader who wants to better understand a major mental illness, including its distinctive character, conscious content, and sources of puzzlement. Readers will find the essays gathered here afford stimulating insights into the human mind and its conditions of vulnerability.

About the Author :
Man Cheung Chung, Reader of Psychology, Clinical Psychology Teaching Unit, School of Applied Psychosocial Studies, University of Plymouth, Bill Fulford, Department of Philosophy and the Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, George Graham, Professor of Philosophy and Associate Faculty Neuroscience Institute, Georgie State University, Atlanta Man Cheung Chung earned his B.A. in Psychology and Sociology at the University of Guelph, Canada, and PhD at the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom. He worked as a Research Psychologist at University College London. He then took on a Research Fellowship at the University of Birmingham and subsequently held lectureships at the Universities of Wolverhampton and Sheffield. He is now a Reader in the Clinical Psychology Teaching Unit at the University of Plymouth. He is also an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. His research interests include history and philosophy of psychology and health/clinical psychology. He has published over 100 articles and chapters in the foregoing areas as well as on other diverse topics. Before joining the faculty of Wake Forest in 2003, Graham served for more than twenty-five years on the faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), including seventeen as philosophy department chair. Graham's research focuses on topics in philosophy of mind, cognitive science, and psychiatry.