« J’étais pas vraiment moi »

The penal principle of “mental disorder defense” has been at the center of a major controversy among French psychiatrists since the 1980’s. This article aims at apprehending the “insanity defense” from the point of view of those being subjected to this measure. The fifteen interviews conducted with...

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Main Authors: Camille Lancelevée, Caroline Protais
Format: Article
Language:fra
Published: Association Anthropologie Médicale Appliquée au Développement et à la Santé 2018-05-01
Series:Anthropologie & Santé
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/anthropologiesante/2941
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author Camille Lancelevée
Caroline Protais
author_facet Camille Lancelevée
Caroline Protais
author_sort Camille Lancelevée
collection DOAJ
description The penal principle of “mental disorder defense” has been at the center of a major controversy among French psychiatrists since the 1980’s. This article aims at apprehending the “insanity defense” from the point of view of those being subjected to this measure. The fifteen interviews conducted with hospitalized patients highlight different ways of experiencing this measure and the resulting hospitalization. Some patients find in the psychiatric diagnosis a new guideline for their biographical narrative and experience the hospitalization as a moment of necessary biographical bifurcation. Others refuse the clinical diagnosis, considering it as groundless in their eyes. The penal measure is hence regarded as an unfair decision and the hospitalization as an arbitrary confinement. By highlighting these contrasted experiences of « penal irresponsibility », this article sheds another light on the controversy around this justice principle and contributes to a better understanding of patient’s subjectivity in psychiatry.
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publisher Association Anthropologie Médicale Appliquée au Développement et à la Santé
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series Anthropologie & Santé
spelling doaj-art-bbc0ede4124e4a1ca326ab042bbbfacb2025-08-20T03:07:44ZfraAssociation Anthropologie Médicale Appliquée au Développement et à la SantéAnthropologie & Santé2111-50282018-05-011610.4000/anthropologiesante.2941« J’étais pas vraiment moi »Camille LancelevéeCaroline ProtaisThe penal principle of “mental disorder defense” has been at the center of a major controversy among French psychiatrists since the 1980’s. This article aims at apprehending the “insanity defense” from the point of view of those being subjected to this measure. The fifteen interviews conducted with hospitalized patients highlight different ways of experiencing this measure and the resulting hospitalization. Some patients find in the psychiatric diagnosis a new guideline for their biographical narrative and experience the hospitalization as a moment of necessary biographical bifurcation. Others refuse the clinical diagnosis, considering it as groundless in their eyes. The penal measure is hence regarded as an unfair decision and the hospitalization as an arbitrary confinement. By highlighting these contrasted experiences of « penal irresponsibility », this article sheds another light on the controversy around this justice principle and contributes to a better understanding of patient’s subjectivity in psychiatry.https://journals.openedition.org/anthropologiesante/2941Francepsychiatrypatientqualitative interviewsmental disorder defense
spellingShingle Camille Lancelevée
Caroline Protais
« J’étais pas vraiment moi »
Anthropologie & Santé
France
psychiatry
patient
qualitative interviews
mental disorder defense
title « J’étais pas vraiment moi »
title_full « J’étais pas vraiment moi »
title_fullStr « J’étais pas vraiment moi »
title_full_unstemmed « J’étais pas vraiment moi »
title_short « J’étais pas vraiment moi »
title_sort j etais pas vraiment moi
topic France
psychiatry
patient
qualitative interviews
mental disorder defense
url https://journals.openedition.org/anthropologiesante/2941
work_keys_str_mv AT camillelancelevee jetaispasvraimentmoi
AT carolineprotais jetaispasvraimentmoi