S05-01 - The Body in Distress [E104]

Abstract

Psychiatry deals with morbid psychological experience. This suggests that centralto psychiatry's concern is the mind as opposed to the body. Yet, it isoften the afflicted body rather than the mind that the patient presents to theclinician. In addiction, psychiatry classification has an underlyinghierarchical bias for organic (somatic) disorders. Furthermore, many disorderssuch as generalised anxiety disorder and mood disorders have bodilymanisfestations that are taken for granted in the consultation process ortranslated and relabelled as pointing towards psychological/emotional distress.This suggests that Cartesian mind-body dualism continues to significantlyinfluence psychiatric concepts, classification and practice. In thispresentation, the role of the body as model, metaphor, symbol, object andexperiencing subject will be analysed with illustrative examples from clinicalpractice and literature. I will rely on Kafka's Letter toFather, Elfriede Jelinek's Piano Teacher,and Minkowsky's Lived Time.