Wistfuleria

Well, it's more interesting that 'depression', don't you think?

So, I have started reading for my next dreaded. I decided to do the module that takes place in June even though I won't be able to attend in person or watch the stream live, because it is Philosophy, Psychology and Psychiatry - which I really want to do and which they will not run next year. In addition, as I am not working for nearly a month, I thought it would be good to have something to focus upon in July and that I would have time to do it even though they will not allow me an extension on my deadline.

It's moderately interesting. One of the most interesting parts is how one actually conceptualises a mental illness - it's not like there is a blood test. So practitioners are reliant on symptoms and there is a great deal of crossover between conditions. That means people may be diagnosed with multiple conditions or different conditions at different times.

Another thing that's interesting is to read about mental illnesses not from a psychological point of view but a philosophical one. In both cases, writers want to pin things down. But while psychology gives a kind of broad catchall, philosophy has an all or nothing approach: either conditions are discrete or there are none... And in both cases, you don't feel that the people involved have direct experience. Well, you do sometimes in psychological texts, the less formal ones, at any rate, but in philosophy they seem to be talking about something so far removed from reality that it's alienating. That said, I did read a good paper about Alzheimer's, but it was good because it included testimony.

It was about agency and, to put it simply, what matters more: the person's wishes before dementia or what they want after? How do you decide where that conflicts? And I thought how interesting depression is on that score - well, in my experience - or maybe it's just my freaky personality - like I don't remember what I wanted when I wasn't depressed, in a way. The real me. Who is it?

There is a lot of reading to do and some parts look less appealing than others... and I might not be able to turn the focus to animals this time. Which may be a good thing.