PERSONALIZED AND HOLISTIC MEDICINE: A DEFENSE OF ENACTIVE PSYCHIATRY

Abstract

Despite advances in neuroscience and psychology, the treatment of psychiatric disorders is still clouded in uncertainty. Psychiatrists must make decisions about interventions while considering possibly over a dozen different factors. And even once they have decided, they are simply not able to give a sufficient explanation for why they did what they did. What is missing from the field of psychiatry is an explicit framework that connects and untangles the many complex factors that persist in psychiatric disorders. In this thesis I consider one such framework created by Sanneke de Haan, entitled “Enactive Psychiatry”. I begin the thesis with a discussion of key terms and concepts related to cognitive science and psychiatry. Next, I briefly outline and discuss Enactive Psychiatry as presented in de Haan’s most recent book. This is then followed by a critical analysis of Enactive Psychiatry based on the critiques of Donovan and Murphy. Finally, I present my own concerns of Enactive Psychiatry and contribute small suggestions for improvement.