Phenomenology yesterday, today, and tomorrow: a proposed phenomenological response to the double challenges of contemporary recovery-oriented person-centered mental health care.

This paper argues that a dialectical synthesis of phenomenology's traditional twin roles in psychiatry (one science-centered, the other individual-centered) is needed to support the recovery-oriented practice that is at the heart of contemporary person-centered mental health care. The paper is in two main sections. Section I illustrates the different ways in which phenomenology's two roles have played out over three significant periods of the history of phenomenology in 20th century psychiatry: with the introduction of phenomenology in Karl Jaspers' General Psychopathology in 1913; with the development a few years later of structural phenomenological psychopathology; and in the period of post-War humanism. Section II is concerned with the role of phenomenology in contemporary mental health. There has been a turn to phenomenology in the current period, we argue, in response to what amounts to an uncoupling of academic psychiatry from front-line clinical care. Corresponding with the two roles of phenomenology, this uncoupling has both scientific aspects and clinical aspects. The latter, we suggest, is most fully expressed in a new model of "recovery," defined, not by the values of professionals as experts-by-training, but by the values of patients and carers as experts-by-experience, specifically, by what is important to the quality of life of the individual concerned in the situation in question. We illustrate the importance of recovery, so defined, and the challenges raised by it for both the evidence-base and the values-base of clinical decision-making, with brief clinical vignettes. It is to these challenges we argue, that phenomenology through a synthesis of its twin roles is uniquely equipped to respond. Noting, however, the many barriers to such a synthesis, we argue that in the current state of development of the field, it is by way of a dialectical synthesis of phenomenology's roles that we should proceed. From such a dialectic, a genuine synthesis of roles may ultimately emerge. We conclude with a note on the wider significance of these developments, arguing that contrary to 20th century stereotypes, they show psychiatry to be leading the way for healthcare as a whole, in developing the resources for 21st century person-centered clinical care.

Obsessive-compulsive existential type: a dialectical-phenomenological approach.

The clinical presentation of obsessive-compulsive patients is characterized by unwanted, intrusive, nonsensical, self-related, and recurrent ideas, thoughts, images, or impulses associated with active compulsive compensations. Under the operational diagnostic criteria adopted by the biological- and cognitive-oriented neopositivist medical paradigm, it is known as "obsessive-compulsive disorder." However, this paradigm has been criticized for its controversial assumptions, limited methodologies, theoretic biases, and inconsistency in producing practical outcomes. To bypass some of these issues, we propose a complementary approach that draws on and further develops existing psychopathological studies of the obsessive-compulsive anthropological condition based on dialectical phenomenological psychopathology. As such, we refer to the global clinical configuration as the "obsessive-compulsive existential type." Our theoretical inspiration comes from the classical phenomenological work on obsessions undertaken by Straus and Gebsattel, which identified the negative transformation of the obsessive-compulsive life-world or the endogenous emergence of the anti-eidos (diluting existential force). We then propose to broaden the concept of anti-eidos, especially in its dialectical correlation with eidos (unifying existential force), representing the existential dialectic between transformation and permanence. Next, we detail the dynamics of anthropological disproportions in obsessive-compulsive existential type, essentially the supremacy of the anti-eidos over the eidos. This primary imbalance modifies the obsessive-compulsive existential structure, consisting of polymorphic temporality; weakened intentionality; maladjusted calibration of distance with the world and others; an integral, isolated, besieged self with dwindling self-agency, and tense and over-protecting embodiment. We also analyze compensatory hyperreflexivity and compulsive rituals as expressions of structural counterbalancing designed to contain the primary structural disproportions and derangements. The heterogeneous obsessive-compulsive clinical manifestations are the complex result of the primary structural alteration and subsequent phenomenological compensations. They tend to be variable in temporal span and rarely assume a fixed form, hindering diagnosis. We correlate structural frameworks with multiple clinical examples. Finally, we raise some insights on how our study may contribute to scientific research and therapeutic proposals.

Toward a Phenomenological Assessment of Values in Alcohol Misuse.

INTRODUCTION: Alcohol misuse emerges from a complex range of psychopathological experiences and personal and cultural values. For this reason, understanding the reasons why a person seeks treatment is crucial to effective care. This study aimed to identify the values which guide the decision-making process of persons seeking voluntary hospitalization for treatment for alcohol misuse, as well as the values of significant others. METHODS: A phenomenological investigation was conducted through interviews with 25 individuals (and family members) who had voluntarily admitted themselves to a hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, with the objective of maintaining abstinence from alcohol dependence. RESULTS: The main factors that determined the treatment-seeking decision were damage to social relationships and fear of illness and deterioration of the physical condition; the factors related to treatment expectations were restoring personality and awareness of morbidity; and the single factor considered most important to the success of the treatment was willpower. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study contribute to developing strategies for bringing care closer to the patient's perspective of the disease and encourage their active participation in the formulation of care.

How and why psychiatry still needs Karl Jaspers: a dialectical account / Como e por que a psiquiatria ainda necessita de Karl Jaspers: uma leitura dialética / Comment et pourquoi la psychiatrie a encore besoin de Karl Jaspers: une lecture dialectique / Cómo y por qué la psiquiatría sigue necesitando a Karl Jaspers: una lectura dialéctica

In this paper, I analyze General Psychopathology, the seminal psychopathological work of the philosopher and psychiatrist Karl Jaspers, from a dialectical perspective, showing how it can contribute to contemporary psychiatry. Dialectical interpretations of this work are still scarce and generally address the part of the work in which Jaspers makes direct reference to dialectics. Instead, I expose the implicit dialectic by which the overall form of the work is organized. I take the "psychology of meaning" as an example for this dialectical account. I suggest two consequences of this dialectical account of the "psychology of meaning" for psychopathology, which I call intrisec ambiguity and epistemic particularism. Finally, I conclude by pointing out how both notions help shed some epistemological and pragmatic light on the discipline of psychiatry, in a sustained state of crisis.

Neste trabalho, analiso a Psicopatologia Geral, o trabalho psicopatológico seminal do filósofo e psiquiatra Karl Jaspers, por uma perspectiva dialética, mostrando como esta pode contribuir para a psiquiatria contemporânea. As interpretações dialéticas deste trabalho ainda são escassas e geralmente abordam a parte do trabalho na qual Jaspers faz referência direta à dialética. Em vez disso, exponho a dialética implícita pela qual a forma geral do trabalho é organizada. Tomo a "psicologia compreensiva" como um exemplo para este relato dialético. Sugiro duas conseqüências dessa apreensão dialética da "psicologia compreensiva" para a psicopatologia, que denomino ambiguidade intrínseca e particularismo epistêmico. Finalmente, concluo apontando de que modo ambas as noções ajudam a lançar alguma luz epistemológica e pragmática sobre a disciplina da psiquiatria, em contínuo estado de crise.

Dans cet article, j'analyse la Psychopathologie générale, l'ouvrage psychopathologique fondamental du philosophe et psychiatre Karl Jaspers, d'un point de vue dialectique, en montrant comment il peut contribuer à la psychiatrie contemporaine. Les interprétations dialectiques de cet ouvrage sont encore rares et portent généralement sur la partie de l'ouvrage dans laquelle Jaspers fait directement référence à la dialectique. En revanche, j'expose la dialectique implicite par laquelle la forme générale de l'ouvrage est organisée. Je prends la "psychologie compréhensive" comme exemple pour ce compte-rendu dialectique. Je suggère deux conséquences de cette appréhension dialectique de la "psychologie compréhensive" pour la psychopathologie, que je qualifie d'ambiguïté intrinsèque et de particularisme épistémique. Enfin, je conclus en montrant comment ces deux notions permettent d'éclairer d'un point de vue épistémologique et pragmatique la discipline psychiatrique, qui est en état de crise continue.

En este artículo analizo la Psicopatología General, la obra psicopatológica seminal del filósofo y psiquiatra Karl Jaspers, desde una perspectiva dialéctica, mostrando cómo puede contribuir a la psiquiatría contemporánea. Las interpretaciones dialécticas de esta obra son todavía escasas y suelen abordar la parte de la obra en la que Jaspers hace referencia directa a la dialéctica. En cambio, yo expongo la dialéctica implícita mediante la cual se organiza la forma general de la obra. Tomo la "psicología comprensiva" como ejemplo de este relato dialéctico. Sugiero dos consecuencias de esta aprehensión dialéctica de la "psicología comprensiva" para la psicopatología, que denomino ambigüedad intrínseca y particularismo epistémico. Finalmente, concluyo señalando cómo ambas nociones contribuyen a arrojar alguna luz epistemológica y pragmática sobre la disciplina de la psiquiatría, que se encuentra en contínuo estado de crisis.

Recontextualizing the subject of phenomenological psychopathology: Establishing a new paradigm case.

Recently, there have been calls to develop a more contextual approach to phenomenological psychopathology-an approach that attends to the socio-cultural as well as personal and biographical factors that shape experiences of mental illness. In this Perspective article, we argue that to develop this contextual approach, phenomenological psychopathology should adopt a new paradigm case. For decades, schizophrenia has served as the paradigmatic example of a condition that can be better understood through phenomenological investigation. And recent calls for a contextual approach continue to use schizophrenia as their primary example. We argue, in contrast, that substance misuse provides a better paradigm case around which to develop a contextually sensitive phenomenological psychopathology. After providing a brief vignette and analysis of a case of substance misuse, we explain why this kind of condition requires considerable sensitivity and attention to context, better motivating the incorporation and development of new contextually sensitive approaches.

More phenomenology in psychiatry? Applied ontology as a method towards integration.

There have been renewed calls to use phenomenology in psychiatry to improve knowledge about causation, diagnostics, and treatment of mental health conditions. A phenomenological approach aims to elucidate the subjective experiences of mental health, which its advocates claim have been largely neglected by current diagnostic frameworks in psychiatry (eg, DSM-5). The consequence of neglecting rich phenomenological information is a comparatively more constrained approach to theory development, empirical research, and care programmes. Although calls for more phenomenology in psychiatry have been met with enthusiasm, there is still relatively little information on how to practically facilitate this integration. In this Personal View, we argue that phenomenological approaches need a shared semantic framework to drive their innovative potential, thus enabling consistent data capture, exchange, and interoperability with current mental health data and informatics approaches (eg, the Research Domain Criteria project). We show how an applied ontology of phenomenological psychopathology offers a suitable method to address these challenges.

The Dialectics of Altered Experience: How to Validly Construct a Phenomenologically Based Diagnosis in Psychiatry.

In this paper, we present how a dialectical perspective on phenomenological psychopathology, called Dialectical Phenomenology (DPh), can contribute to current needs of psychiatric diagnosis. We propose a three-stage diagnostic methodology: first- and second-person stages, and synthetic hermeneutics stage. The first two stages are divided into a pre-dialectical and a dialectical phase. The diagnostic process progresses in a trajectory of increasing complexity, in which knowledge obtained at one level is dialectically absorbed and intertwined into the next levels. Throughout the article, we offer some examples of each step. In overall, the method starts off from the patient's own narrative, proceeds to two stages of phenomenological reduction designed to guarantee the scientific validity of the object, and concludes with a hermeneutical narrative synthesis that is dialectically composed of the patient's and psychopathologist's shared narratives. At the end of this process, the initial first-person narrative is transformed into a specific scientific object, a full dialectical phenomenological psychiatric diagnosis. This form of diagnosis constitutes a comprehensive alternative for an integral assessment of the complexities of human psychological alteration, bringing together both the interpretation of the suffering person and the scientific categories of psychiatry.

The lived experience of psychosis: a bottom-up review co-written by experts by experience and academics.

Psychosis is the most ineffable experience of mental disorder. We provide here the first co-written bottom-up review of the lived experience of psychosis, whereby experts by experience primarily selected the subjective themes, that were subsequently enriched by phenomenologically-informed perspectives. First-person accounts within and outside the medical field were screened and discussed in collaborative workshops involving numerous individuals with lived experience of psychosis as well as family members and carers, representing a global network of organizations. The material was complemented by semantic analyses and shared across all collaborators in a cloud-based system. The early phases of psychosis (i.e., premorbid and prodromal stages) were found to be characterized by core existential themes including loss of common sense, perplexity and lack of immersion in the world with compromised vital contact with reality, heightened salience and a feeling that something important is about to happen, perturbation of the sense of self, and need to hide the tumultuous inner experiences. The first episode stage was found to be denoted by some transitory relief associated with the onset of delusions, intense self-referentiality and permeated self-world boundaries, tumultuous internal noise, and dissolution of the sense of self with social withdrawal. Core lived experiences of the later stages (i.e., relapsing and chronic) involved grieving personal losses, feeling split, and struggling to accept the constant inner chaos, the new self, the diagnosis and an uncertain future. The experience of receiving psychiatric treatments, such as inpatient and outpatient care, social interventions, psychological treatments and medications, included both positive and negative aspects, and was determined by the hope of achieving recovery, understood as an enduring journey of reconstructing the sense of personhood and re-establishing the lost bonds with others towards meaningful goals. These findings can inform clinical practice, research and education. Psychosis is one of the most painful and upsetting existential experiences, so dizzyingly alien to our usual patterns of life and so unspeakably enigmatic and human.

A values-based phenomenology for substance use disorder: a new approach for clinical decision-making / Uma fenomenologia baseada em valores nos transtornos por uso de substâncias: uma nova abordagem para a tomada de decisão clínica

Phenomenological psychopathology has been defined as a human science that is concerned with the object on which clinical psychology and psychiatry act. How psychopathological experiences are understood is an important factor determining decision-making in clinical care. An accurate understanding of psychopathology is fundamental to the effectiveness of mental health treatments. This is even more important in a field such as substance use disorders in which social and cultural values influence both diagnosis and decision-making. In this article, we offer a contribution to clinical decision-making in substance use disorders by suggesting the association of Phenomenological Psychopathology and Values-Based Practice, constituting a Values-based Phenomenology We present a fictitious clinical case (to preserve confidentiality), illustrating a three-step practical application of Values-based Phenomenology. We conclude that although still a nascent discipline, Values-based Phenomenology offers a promising approach to reducing the gap between services and patients' needs in clinical decision-making, and thus to improving clinical care in substance use disorders.

A psicopatologia fenomenológica é uma ciência humana que define o objeto sobre o qual atuam a psicologia clínica e a psiquiatria. O modo como são compreendidas as experiências psicopatológicas é um fator importante nas tomadas de decisão clínica. Uma compreensão acurada de psicopatologia é fundamental para a efetividade dos tratamentos em saúde mental. Isso é mais importante ainda em um campo como o dos transtornos por uso de substâncias, no qual há um importante imbricamento entre valores sociais e culturais. Neste artigo, se oferece uma contribuição para as tomadas de decisão clínica nos transtornos por uso de substâncias por meio da associação entre a psicopatologia fenomenológica e a Prática Baseada em Valores, constituindo uma fenomenologia baseada em valores. Apresenta-se um caso clínico fictício (visando à preservação de confidencialidade) ilustrativo dos três passos da aplicação prática da fenomenologia baseada em valores. Conclui-se que a fenomenologia baseada em valores constitui uma abordagem promissora para o aprimoramento das tomadas de decisão clínica nos transtornos por uso de substâncias.

Introducing the evidence-based population health tool of the Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines to Brazil

Cannabis is the most commonly used illegal drug, and is associated with well-documented adverse health outcomes, both acute and chronic. Cannabis use prevalence in Brazil is lower than in high-use regions in the Americas (e.g., North America), but concentrated among young people. Frameworks for cannabis control are increasingly shifting towards public health-oriented principles, with some countries undertaking respective policy reforms. These frameworks require a continuum of population-level interventions (e.g., prevention and treatment) including targeted prevention of adverse health outcomes among users. In this context, and based on examples from other health fields, an international expert group developed the evidence-based Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines (LRCUG), originally for Canada, including a set of 10 recommendations based on systematic data reviews and expert consensus methods. The LRCUG form a scientific population-health prevention tool to reduce adverse public health impacts for broad application among cannabis users. In Canada, the LRCUG have been formally endorsed and are supported by leading national health organizations and government authorities within the continuum of cannabis interventions. As the LRCUG are being internationalized, this paper introduces the LRCUG's concept and content - including their original recommendations translated into Portuguese - to the Brazilian context as an evidence-based population-level intervention tool for uptake, dissemination, and discussion. Sociocultural adaptation may be required for meaningful implementation.

A Phenomenological Contribution to Substance Misuse Treatment: Principles for Person-Centered Care.

Despite the significant need for coordinated approaches to the treatment of substance misuse worldwide, there are still major gaps in both the provision of services and in the development of a theoretically unified approach to care. We suggest that a phenomenological approach to care can provide comprehensive, theoretically grounded guidelines that coordinate and help choose between a range of interventions while respecting the values of the patient and other stakeholders. The aim of this paper is to present a framework for a person-centered approach to substance misuse care, based on general principles of phenomenology. In particular, we emphasize a dialectic conception of phenomenological care, one that considers the various tensions and conflicts of human life, and the ways these are managed by individuals. Two dialectics are presented here: the dialectic of anthropological proportions, involved in the existential situation of the substance misuser, and the dialect of decision, which is essential to all approaches to the treatment of substance misuse. The dialectic of proportions in the substance misuser's experience involves hyperpresentification, the tendency to emphasize the present moment to the relative exclusion or reduction of the past and future considerations, and feelings of plenitude, an oversimplification of experience that ignores the complexity present in every situation. Interventions should reflect a dialectic of decision, which allows the clinician and patient to choose pathways that promote movement and expand the limitations of hyperpresentification and plenitude. This phenomenological framework, we suggest, permits a collaborative and values-based approach to comprehensive clinical decision-making.

Introducing the evidence-based population health tool of the Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines to Brazil.

Cannabis is the most commonly used illegal drug, and is associated with well-documented adverse health outcomes, both acute and chronic. Cannabis use prevalence in Brazil is lower than in high-use regions in the Americas (e.g., North America), but concentrated among young people. Frameworks for cannabis control are increasingly shifting towards public health-oriented principles, with some countries undertaking respective policy reforms. These frameworks require a continuum of population-level interventions (e.g., prevention and treatment) including targeted prevention of adverse health outcomes among users. In this context, and based on examples from other health fields, an international expert group developed the evidence-based Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines (LRCUG), originally for Canada, including a set of 10 recommendations based on systematic data reviews and expert consensus methods. The LRCUG form a scientific population-health prevention tool to reduce adverse public health impacts for broad application among cannabis users. In Canada, the LRCUG have been formally endorsed and are supported by leading national health organizations and government authorities within the continuum of cannabis interventions. As the LRCUG are being internationalized, this paper introduces the LRCUG's concept and content - including their original recommendations translated into Portuguese - to the Brazilian context as an evidence-based population-level intervention tool for uptake, dissemination, and discussion. Sociocultural adaptation may be required for meaningful implementation.

Análise fenômeno-estrutural da temporalidade no primeiro ano de vida / Phenomenological-structural analysis of temporality in the first year of life / Análisis fenómeno-estructural de la temporalidad en el primer año de vida / Analyse phénoménologique et structurelle de la temporalité dans la première année de vie

Este artigo apresenta uma proposta fenomenológica estrutural de psicologia do desenvolvimento dos primeiros 12 meses de vida. A literatura clássica fenomenológica fomenta, neste artigo, um aprofundamento da compreensão antropológica piagetiana do desenvolvimento. As descrições minuciosas de Jean Piaget do desenvolvimento de seus três filhos foram utilizadas como paradigma para a apresentação de uma proposta de como a temporalidade se apresenta nos 12 primeiros meses de vida. Ao constatarmos uma temporalidade em expansão, porém imatura, aprofundamos a compreensão do papel vital do contato interpessoal no primeiro ano de vida como fator constituinte de uma estrutura psíquica saudável.

This article presents a structural phenomenological proposal of developmental psychology of the first 12 months of life. In this article, the classical phenomenological literature fosters a deepening of Piagetian anthropological understanding of development. Jean Piaget's detailed descriptions of the development of his three children acted as a paradigm for the presentation of a proposal of how temporality presents itself in the first 12 months of life. When we see an expanding but immature temporality, we deepen our understanding of the vital role of interpersonal contact in the first year of life as an essential factor of a healthy psychic structure.

Este trabajo presenta una propuesta fenomenológica estructural de psicología del desarrollo de los primeros 12 meses de vida. La literatura clásica fenomenológica fomenta, en este trabajo, una profundización de la comprensión antropológica piagetiana del desarrollo. Las descripciones minuciosas de Jean Piaget del desarrollo de sus tres hijos fueron utilizadas como paradigma para la presentación de una propuesta de como la temporalidad se presenta en los 12 primeros años de vida. Al constatar una temporalidad en expansión, aunque inmatura, profundizamos la comprensión del papel vital del contacto interpersonal en el primer año de vida como factor constituyente de una estructura psíquica saludable.

Cet article présente une proposition phénoménologique structurelle de la psychologie du développement des 12 premiers mois de la vie. La littérature phénoménologique classique promeut, dans cet article, un approfondissement de la compréhension anthropologique piagétienne du développement. Les descriptions détaillées de Jean Piaget sur le développement de ses trois enfants ont servi de paradigme à une proposition sur comment la temporalité se présente au cours des 12 premiers mois de la vie. Lorsque nous voyons une temporalité en expansion mais immature, nous approfondissons notre compréhension du rôle vital du contact interpersonnel au cours de la première année de la vie en tant que facteur constitutif d'une structure psychique saine.

New Perspectives in Phenomenological Psychopathology: Its Use in Psychiatric Treatment.

Phenomenological psychopathology is a body of scientific knowledge on which the clinical practice of psychiatry is based since the first decades of the twentieth century, a method to assess the patient's abnormal experiences from their own perspective, and more importantly, a science responsible for delimiting the object of psychiatry. Recently, the frontiers of phenomenological psychopathology have expanded to the productive development of therapeutic strategies that target the whole of existence in their actions. In this article, we present an overview of the current state of this discipline, summing up some of its key concepts, and highlighting its importance to clinical psychiatry today. Phenomenological psychopathology understands mental disorders as modifications of the main dimensions of the life-world: lived time, lived space, lived body, intersubjectivity, and selfhood. Psychopathological symptoms are the expression of a dialectical modification of the proportions of certain domains of the life-world or of the lived experience. The far-reaching relevance of the concepts of proportion and dialectics for the clinical agenda is explored. The article presents two contemporary models for clinical practice based on phenomenological psychopathology: Dialectical-proportional oriented approach and Person-centered dialectic approach (P.H.D. method). The main characteristics of these approaches are considered, as well as the new perspectives they bring to the challenges of psychiatric care in the twentieth-first century.