ENGLISH

The History of Mental Symptoms: Descriptive Psychopathology since the Nineteenth Century

Book information

Year
1996
ISBN
0521431352, 9780521431354, 0521437369, 9780521437363, 9780511526725
LCC
RC437.5 .B468 1996
Open Library ID
OL787979M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
6 MB (5783491 bytes)
Edition
1
Pages
581\581
Topic
History
Time added
2011-06-04 13:46:07

Description

This important book, written by a psychiatrist-historian, traces the genesis of the descriptive categories of psychopathology and examines their interaction with the psychological and philosophical context within which they arose. The author explores particularly the language and ideas that have characterized descriptive psychopathology from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. He presents a masterful survey of the history of the main psychiatric symptoms, from the metaphysics of classical antiquity to the operational criteria of today. Tracing the evolution of concepts such as memory, consciousness, will and personality, and of symptoms ranging from catalepsy and aboulia to anxiety and self-harm, this book provides fascinating insights into the subjective nature of mental illness, and into the ideas of British, Continental and American authorities who have clarified and defined it.

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