An Experiential Approach to Psychopathology: What is it like to Suffer from Mental Disorders?

by Giovanni Stanghellini (Editor), Massimiliano Aragona (Editor)

Overview

This book introduces the reader to a clear and consistent method for in-depth exploration of subjective psychopathological experiences with the aim of helping to restore the ability within psychiatry and clinical psychology to draw qualitative distinctions between mental symptoms that are only apparently similar, thereby promoting a more precise characterization of experiential phenotypes. A wide range of mental disorders are considered in the book, each portrayed by a distinguished clinician. Each chapter begins with the description of a paradigmatic case study in order to introduce the reader directly to the patient’s lived world. The first-person perspective of the patient is the principal focus of attention. The essential, defining features of each psychopathological phenomenon and the meaning that the patient attaches to it are carefully analyzed in order to “make sense” of the patient’s apparently nonsensical experiences. In the second part of each chapter, the case study is discussed within the context of relevant literature and a detailed picture of the state of the art concerning the psychopathological understanding of the phenomenon at issue is provided.

An Experiential Approach to Psychopathology, and the method it proposes, may be considered the result of convergence of classic phenomenological psychopathological concepts and updated clinical insights into patients’ lived experiences. It endorses three key principles: subjective phenomena are the quintessential feature of mental disorders; their qualitative study is mandatory; phenomenology has developed a rigorous method to grasp “what it is like” to be a person experiencing psychopathological phenomena. While the book is highly relevant for expert clinical phenomenologists, it is written in a way that will be readily understandable for trainees and young clinicians.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783319806914
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	06/12/2018
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2016
Pages:	383
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Prof. Dr. Giovanni Stanghellini, University “G. D’Annunzio”, Department of Psychological, Humanistic and Territorial Sciences, Chieti, Italy, and University "D. Portales", Santiago, Chile

Prof. Dr. Massimiliano Aragona, Sapienza University, School of Psychiatry. Rome, Italy

Table of Contents

Introduction to the method of phenomenological psychopathology.- Delusions and Delusion-like ideas.- Hallucinations.- Catatonia.- Autism.- Bodily experiences.- Disturbances of the Self.- Perplexity.- Bizarreness.- Obsessive phenomena.- Melancholia.- Mania.- Dysphoria and anger in borderline disorders.- Depersonalization.- Gender dysphoria.- Aggressiveness.- Self-Injury.- Suicide.- Experiences related to Alcohol and Drug Abuse.- Values and Psychoses.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Steven T Herron, MD (CPI/Assurance Health and Wellness)
Description: Many psychiatric diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), are broken down using phenomenological psychopathology method as a way of gaining a deeper and more complete understanding of the unique individuals suffering from these issues.
Purpose: Written to provide a different framework for understanding various mental health disorders, the authors attempt to discuss these conditions using case examples to highlight specific aspects of the approach.
Audience: Though potentially useful for anyone interested in novel approaches to classifying mental health disorders, this work is directed mainly at experienced clinicians (physicians, therapists, and psychologists) with an in-depth understanding of the major schools of thought in psychopathology.
Features: The first chapter is a discussion of the definitions and concepts used by the authors throughout the rest of the book. Each of the remaining chapters addresses specific DSM-5 diagnoses using case examples to highlight important concepts in the increased understanding of the individual etiology behind the observable symptoms. Each chapter concludes with an extensive list of references. There are a few basic diagrams and charts.
Assessment: The concept behind the authors' approach to writing this work is an important one. Namely, that much has been lost in the practice of psychiatry since the development and implementation of the various editions of the DSM. The authors argue that psychiatry's attempt to structure diagnosis using reported symptoms as a method of increasing so called "interrrater reliability" has, in fact, cost the profession by removing the human element and replacing it with checklists and highly structured interviews. Many within the profession would agree. Unfortunately, this book does not make this argument clear, and in the process, leaves readers unfulfilled.

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