Verso una neuropsicopatologia ermeneutica

Abstract

Toward an Hermeneutic Psychopathology - In recent times there has been a revival of the debate between psychiatrists, psychopathologists and philosophers about the nature of psychiatric illness. The most interesting feature of this renewed dialectic between psychopathology and philosophy lies in the fact that in large part it is promoted by psychiatrists (such as Kenneth S. Kendler), who for years have carried out research in the field of reductionist biological psychiatry. The questions they try to answer are: What is a psychopathological condition? When should we adopt a causal explanation and when should we adopt a motivational explanation? What are the insights or principles (rules) that encourage psychiatrists to choose between causal and non-causal explanations? What is the border between causes and reasons? In the first part of this work we will try to show how psychopathology, like all other sciences, investigates its topic (mental illness) by moving from a theoretical basis that cannot be derived from the results of psychopathological research. This theoretical basis, according to the position proposed in this work concerns the ontology of psychopathology (the human being and his typical and atypical modes of experience). After a brief description of the key features of phenomenology and hermeneutics, we will try to outline an overall theoretical framework within which to answer the questions above.

Keywords

• Psychopathology
• Neuropsychopathology
• Hermeneutics
• Phenomenology
• Reductionism/Antireductionism.