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

by George Graham

"George Graham is contemporary philosophy’s most gifted and humane writer. The Disordered Mind is a wise, deep, and thorough inquiry into the nature of the human mind and the various ‘creaks, cracks, and crevices’ into which it is prone sometimes to wander." Owen Flanagan, Duke University, USA "The book is a success, it is consistently insightful and humane, and conveys a clear understanding not only of relevant philosophical topics, but also of a much more difficult issue, the relevance of those topics to understanding mental illness." Philip Gerrans, University of Adelaide, Australia " The Disordered Mind is a must read for anyone who is a psychiatrist, psychologist, philosopher, neurologist, or mental health worker. Indeed, it is a must read for any thoughtful person who simply desires to understand more deeply and more realistically the workings of their own mind as well as the workings of the human mind in general." Richard Garrett, Bentley University, USA Mental disorder raises profound questions about the nature of the mind. The Disordered Mind: An Introduction to Philosophy of Mind and Mental Illness is the first book to systematically examine and explain, 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. Each chapter explores a central question or problem about mental disorder, including: Each topic is clearly explained and placed in both 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. Additional features, such as chapter summaries and annotated further reading, provide helpful tools for those coming to the subject for the first time. Throughout, George Graham draws expertly on issues that cut across philosophy, science, and psychiatry. As such, The Disordered Mind is a superb introduction to the philosophy of mental disorder for students of philosophy, psychology, psychiatry, and related mental health professions. PHILOSOPHY/PSYCHOLOGY

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.