Mental disorders are widely held to have a chemical basis best treated with medication, and contemporary psychiatry is more closely allied with the neuro- and behavioural sciences than with philosophy. So what, if anything, does philosophy have to offer psychiatry today? Exploring both historical examples and contemporary psychiatric practice, we ask what the theoretical and therapeutic benefits of a philosophically informed psychiatry might be.

Lisa Conlon is a Consultant Psychiatrist, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

Jean Khalfa is Senior Lecturer in French Studies at Trinity College, Cambridge.

Stella Sandford is Professor of Modern European Philosophy at Kingston University London.

Alistair Stewart is Consultant Psychiatrist at Fairfield General Hospital, Bury.

Danielle Sands (@DanielleCSands) is a Fellow at the Forum for Philosophy and Lecturer in Comparative Literature and Culture at Royal Holloway, University of London.

The Forum for European Philosophy (@ForumPhilosophy) is an educational charity that organises a full and varied programme of philosophy and interdisciplinary events in the UK. 

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