The ontogeny of the subject as an approach to the ethical evaluation of classification systems. Mental health case study

Abstract

This article presents the ontogeny of the subject as an approach to the ethical evaluation of classification systems. The subject chosen concerns mental health. Indeed, today, the concept of mental health in our knowledge organization systems is challenging, whether it is part of the classification in which a new paradigm of mental health itself emerges and takes shape, or terminology such as the term "schizophrenia" producing a stigmatizing image, the resulting consequences of which are debated and calls for a revision through a participatory approach by the various actors, such as patients, psychiatrists, health establishments, associations and families. These phenomena lead this empirical study in the historical description of the subject and its context, as well as in the exploration of two types of classification: the encyclopedic classification, such as the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), and medical classifications such as the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The ethical analysis of the subject is contained in the highlighting of the main and general causes and the results that give rise to this review. The discussion focuses on possible solutions and perspectives.