How autism shows that symptoms, like psychiatric diagnoses, are 'constructed': methodological and epistemic consequences.

Critics who are concerned over the epistemological status of psychiatric diagnoses often describe them as being constructed. In contrast, those critics usually see symptoms as relatively epistemologically unproblematic. In this paper I show that symptoms are also constructed. To do this I draw upon...

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Publicado en:Synthese Vol. 199; no. 1/2; pp. 4499 - 4523
Autor principal: Fellowes, Sam
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Springer Nature Dec2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: How autism shows that symptoms, like psychiatric diagnoses, are 'constructed': methodological and epistemic consequences.
      aug:
        au: Fellowes, Sam
        affil: Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion, County South Lancaster University, LA1 4YL, Lancaster, UK
      su:
        Psychiatric diagnosis
        Symptoms
        Autism
        Autistic children
      sug:
        subj:
          Psychiatric diagnosis
          Symptoms
          Autism
          Autistic children
      keyword:
        Constructivism
        Psychiatric diagnoses
        Psychiatric symptoms
        Realism
      ab: Critics who are concerned over the epistemological status of psychiatric diagnoses often describe them as being constructed. In contrast, those critics usually see symptoms as relatively epistemologically unproblematic. In this paper I show that symptoms are also constructed. To do this I draw upon the demarcation between data and phenomena. I relate this distinction to psychiatry by portraying behaviour of individuals as data and symptoms as phenomena. I then draw upon philosophers who consider phenomena to be constructed to argue that symptoms are also constructed. Rather than being ready made in the world I show how symptoms are constructs we apply to the world. I highlight this with a historical example and describe methodological constraints on symptom construction. I show the epistemic problems with psychiatric diagnoses are also applicable to symptoms. Following this, I suggest that critics of psychiatric diagnoses should extend their criticism to symptoms or, if they still believe symptoms are relatively epistemologically unproblematic, should rethink their concerns over psychiatric diagnoses.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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