The Disordered Mind: An Introduction to Philosophy of Mind and Mental Illness

by George Graham

The Disordered Mind: An Introduction to Philosophy of Mind and Mental Illness, second edition examines and explains, from a philosophical standpoint, what mental disorder is: its reality, causes, consequences, and more. It is also an outstanding introduction to philosophy of mind from the perspective of mental disorder. Revised and updated throughout, this second edition includes new discussions of grief and psychopathy, the problems of the psychophysical basis of disorder, the nature of selfhood, and clarification of the relation between rationality and mental disorder. Each chapter explores a central question or problem about mental disorder, including: Each topic is clearly explained and placed in a clinical and philosophical context. Mental disorders discussed include clinical depression, dissociative identity disorder, anxiety, religious delusions, and paranoia. Several non-mental neurological disorders that possess psychological symptoms are also examined, including Alzheimer’s disease, Down’s syndrome, and Tourette’s syndrome. Containing chapter summaries and suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter, The Disordered Mind, second edition is a superb introduction to the philosophy of mental disorder for students of philosophy, psychology, psychiatry, and related mental health professions.

Genres: Philosophy, Psychology, Psychiatry

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Dr Graham is Professor of Philosophy at Georgia State University. He specializes in philosophy of mind, philosophical psychopathology (philosophy and psychiatry), and cognitive science.

View his academic profile at http://philosophy.gsu.edu/profile/geo...

Reviews

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read this book for a university class, Self and Identity. A Philosophy class I took to fill a gen ed humanities requirement. I should first state that I am a Psychology major and have a great interest in Philosophy as well, would probably major in it if I thought it could actually produce a job. So this subject matter was pretty high on my personal interest scale. However, Graham's writing is very muddled and repetitive. You are reading a whole lot of nothing a good portion of the book. He isn't very easy to follow, and when he was I disagreed with him a large majority of the time. His take on mental illness is that mental disorder's are not disorders of the brain and spends the majority of the book trying to convince the reader of this belief. Of course he is also defending that mental disorders exist against a group of anti-realists who believe it doesn't. That much I believe he succeeds in.
If you are considering this book because a course requires it, go ahead and take the course, it's interesting material. Just don't expect to agree with him if you have much of a Psych background. I expected to keep this one for my personal library, but I can't wait to sell it back. If it's a joy read of a subject you love, I'd pass over this one.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Packed with insight. If you are at all interested in philosophy of mind, moral psychology, or theories of mental disorder, you might be interested in this book. Definitely takes some patience and dedication to get through as Graham has a particularly long-winded and wordy style of writing. However, if you can get past this you'll likely find Graham's rigorous treatment of mental disorder rewarding.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only read a manuscript of this book, and I did not care for it. However, I suspect that judging this book by the manuscript is unfair.

[Maja · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an ok introduction but a bit repetitive.