Postpsychiatry: a new direction for mental health

Bracken, Patrick

doi:10.1136/bmj.322.7288.724

Cited by 187 publications

(130 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The proposed approach is not without its detractors, however. Indeed, some mental health professionals remain resistant to the idea that context, culture, race, and racism matter (such resistance is described in Bracken & Thomas, 2001;Cheng, 2001;Moodley, 2000;Thompson & Neville, 1999). Nonetheless, as Moodley (2000, p. 163) argues, cures for psychopathology are not possible until fundamental causes are controlled.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…All the same, a critical race theorist would probably admonish a sociologist of mental health for failing to address empirically the psychological dysfunction caused by racism, and for failing to explain what race and ethnicity mean. If they take the admonishment seriously, sociology of mental health researchers would begin to practice what Bracken and Thomas (2001) label 'postpsychiatry' (or postmodern psychiatry), which means conducting psychiatric research that is attendant to the social context of structured inequality and the harm caused by it. Doing so would radically change the conception of Downloaded by [University of Chicago Library] at 12:14 26 December 2014 psychopathology.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Race, racism, and mental health: elaboration of critical race theory's contribution to the sociology of mental health

Brown

2008

Contemporary Justice Review

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Race, racism, and mental health: elaboration of critical race theory's contribution to the sociology of mental health

Brown

2008

Contemporary Justice Review

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“…In addition, greater emphasis would be given to participatory and action research methods and to the qualitative analysis of life narratives and user testimonies. This means that what counts as evidence would need to be broadened (Bracken & Thomas, 2001). A ''multiple perspectives paradigm'', which includes both the user and professional perspectives, could be developed for mental health research (Rose et al, 2006).…”

Section: A Research Agenda Designed By Usersmentioning

confidence: 99%

What are mental health service users' priorities for research in the UK?

Rose

Fleischman

Wykes

2008

Journal of Mental Health

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Objective: To investigate service users' priorities for mental health research and compare them with established priorities. Methods: Groups of service users were convened from the London boroughs of Southwark, Lewisham, Lambeth and Croydon. The study was informed by participatory research methodology. User accounts of their research priorities were analysed using a modified grounded theory approach. Results: Service users in this study identified different research priorities from those of professionals. They wished to design and conduct more research themselves, and were more interested in research that was social and psychological rather than biomedical. They also wished to see investigations of alternative treatments to psychiatric medication. Conclusions: The research priorities of service users need further investigation, and effective structures should be developed and consolidated to ensure that these priorities become incorporated into the mental health research agenda.

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“…At the extreme, this eclectic way of thinking can degenerate into a relativistic or ''post-modern'' approach to psychiatry, in which the validity of all empirical knowledge and theories of behavior are called into question (Bracken & Thomas, 2001). At times, complex behavior should be explained and treated in accordance with a delimited set of concepts.…”

Section: Reductionism and Eclecticism In Psychiatrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Reductionism, Eclecticism, and Pragmatism in Psychiatry: The Dialectic of Clinical Explanation

Brendel

2003

The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy

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Explanatory models in psychiatry reflect what clinicians deem valuable in rendering people's behavior intelligible and thus help guide treatment choices for mental illnesses. This article outlines some key scientific and ethical principles of clinical explanation in twenty-first century psychiatry. Recent work in philosophy of science, clinical psychiatry, and psychiatric ethics are critically reviewed in order to elucidate conceptual underpinnings of contemporary explanatory models. Many explanatory models in psychiatry are reductionistic or eclectic. The former restrict options for diagnostic and therapeutic paradigm choice, while the latter lack a well-defined theoretical basis. These two methodological approaches stand in a dialectical relation to one another insofar as clinicians often move from one approach to its antithesis, ultimately seeking a synthesis of the two approaches that satisfies clinical needs. Pragmatic considerations can help to transcend the reductionism/eclecticism dialectic. In the absence of a completed science of mental disorders, psychiatrists must tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty as they strive to integrate diverse explanatory concepts in a rigorous and evidence-based fashion. A pragmatic explanatory model in clinical psychiatry must focus on favorable treatment outcomes for patients by respecting the pluralistic, participatory, and provisional nature of psychiatric explanation.

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Postpsychiatry: a new direction for mental health

Cited by 187 publications

References 11 publications

Race, racism, and mental health: elaboration of critical race theory's contribution to the sociology of mental health

Race, racism, and mental health: elaboration of critical race theory's contribution to the sociology of mental health

What are mental health service users' priorities for research in the UK?

Reductionism, Eclecticism, and Pragmatism in Psychiatry: The Dialectic of Clinical Explanation

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