Psychiatry by Jessica Wright

Psychiatry by Jessica Wright

Is psychiatry a distinctively modern approach to mental difference and distress, or is it a continuation of ancient Greek ideas – in the realm not only of medicine (consider ‘melancholia’), but also of philosophy (source of the idea of ‘therapeutics of the soul’) and tragic drama (inspiration for, among other concepts, the ‘Oedipus complex’)? This volume examines how psychiatry, psychoanalysis and psychotherapy have been shaped by classical antiquity (and ideas about antiquity), and it explores the stories told about what this relationship between the psy disciplines and ancient Greece might mean.

Taking as a starting point the debate about what exactly mental illnesses might be, Jessica Wright explores how contemporary tensions and debates reflect efforts to smooth over inconsistencies and discontinuities between ancient and modern ideas about illnesses affecting the mind. The volume goes on to investigate key concepts that bridge classical antiquity and modern psychiatry, showing how these ideas have been adapted and repurposed for new circumstances, analysing how they are deployed to negotiate the legitimacy of current theories, and demonstrating how the roles they play in psychiatry reshape our understandings of antiquity itself. What emerges above all is how the process of examining the connections between modern psychiatry and classical antiquity, whether historical, constructed or imagined, can illuminate modern ideas about mental illness, approaches to treating it, and its place in contemporary society and culture.

This is a beautifully written account of the connections between ancient medicine and modern psychiatryJessica Wright has set out some fascinating details. But the most impressive aspect of the book is the breadth of understanding that she brings to bear on a range of complex concepts and phenomena. -- Julian C Hughes, Honorary Professor, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, UK.

Jessica Wright is a Teaching Fellow in Academic Skills Development at the Lifelong Learning Centre, University of Leeds, UK. They are author of The Care of the Brain in Early Christianity (2022).

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781350215818
ISBN 10	1350215813
Title	Psychiatry
Author	Jessica Wright
Series	Ancients And Moderns
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Year published	2025-01-09
Number of pages	224
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.