Author : Samuel B. Guze
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 168 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)
Book Synopsis Why Psychiatry is a Branch of Medicine by : Samuel B. Guze
Download or read book Why Psychiatry is a Branch of Medicine written by Samuel B. Guze and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1992 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This groundbreaking new book clarifies the debate about treating mental illness by applying the medical model - the traditional way of thinking about disease - to psychiatric disorders, an approach that ties clinical practice and research to the broader perspective of modern biology. In the author's view, brain function variations are involved in the development of psychopathological syndromes, while at the same time, subjective experiences - cognitive and emotional - are important manifestations of brain physiology in health and disease. Guze's argument emphasizes the need for careful attention to psychiatric diagnosis and to each of three main research strategies inherent in the medical model: the epidemiological, the clinical, and the biological. He emphasizes the importance of controlled studies in all three strategies, noting the many pitfalls associated with drawing facile conclusions from apparent associations. How psychotherapy fits into the medical model and can be joined with biological psychiatry is an important facet of his discussion. He also deals with a number of social, ethical, and philosophical questions that psychiatrists face including causality, teleology, consciousness, mind-brain relationships, reductionism, and free will. The book offers stimulating reading for all psychiatrists, psychologists, and general readers interested in the newest ideas in treating mental illness.