One says that depression, anorexia and phobia is something we ‘have’, and ‘suffer from’. But what does ‘having’ a psychiatric condition mean?

One says these pathologies happen to the person, and are foreign to them. So: one is not autistic, one has autism. Or, at least, this is what they say.

One says that this formulation is first and foremost a moral conquest. In assuming so, we stop blaming the person. But can this really alleviate the stigma?

In this episode Giacomo will be the spokesperson of the “having” formulation. But Cristiano has got some objections.

So: does one have a mental illness, or should we rather say that one is mentally ill? If the title didn’t make it clear enough, this debate will be our focus for this, and the next episode.

References:

Laing, R. D. (1960) The divided self: An existential study in sanity and madness. Penguin Books

Sass, L. A. (2007). `Schizophrenic Person’ or `Person with Schizophrenia’? An Essay on Illness and the Self. Theory & Psychology, 17(3), 395-420. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354307073152 

Sapolsky’s video on the neurobiology of depression:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOAgplgTxfc

14 years later, Sapolsky has updated his lecture.Link to the new version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzUXcBTQXKM

Every other Monday, at 12pm.

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This project exists in Italian as well: ⁠In Front of the Mirror - Il Podcast in Italiano⁠