Philosophical Aspects of “Mental Disease”

Abstract

It is shown that the label "mental disease" derives from value judgements made by the labeller, and that science alone cannot determine the ultimate validity of these judgements. Hence, the term must be, in a genuine sense, based on social and moral convention. However, it is argued that this does not necessarily mean that the medical model, as contended by Szasz and his school, has no value. Rather, it is claimed here that only by returning to the medical model can we make best use of our psychiatric knowledge and best serve our patients.