European madness 1910–1980: lessons for today from Alastair Morgan's Continental Philosophy of Psychiatry: The Lure of Madness

In Continental Philosophy of Psychiatry: The Lure of Madness Alastair Morgan surveys the contributions of a loosely conceived school of psychiatrists, philosophers and social theorists to understanding and responding to madness during the years 1910–1980. Taking my cue from him, I highlight some of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: George Ikkos
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2024-12-01
Series:BJPsych Bulletin
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056469423000797/type/journal_article
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Summary:In Continental Philosophy of Psychiatry: The Lure of Madness Alastair Morgan surveys the contributions of a loosely conceived school of psychiatrists, philosophers and social theorists to understanding and responding to madness during the years 1910–1980. Taking my cue from him, I highlight some of the contributors discussed in Morgan's book and reflect that although madness may be difficult or even impossible to articulate effectively in discourse it remains a ‘limit experience’ which demarcates and illuminates the contours of other thinking and being, including reason and activism. I discuss social and cultural factors that have dulled clinicians’ sensitivities to the sounds of madness in recent decades and advocate the need for a reappraisal of our expertise and for a new activism today. What may at first appear as a failed clinical-philosophical tradition remains of professional relevance in today's rapidly transforming circumstances of practice both as inspiration and as cautionary tale.
ISSN:2056-4694
2056-4708