Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia is inviting scholars, clinicians, and students in the medical, social, and human sciences to participate in a conference exploring the differences between those researchers who “hope to find the cause of mental illness in the biology of the brain” and the “vocal contingent” that’s “discontented with what they see as an overly narrow view” and that tends to “eschew models that privilege neuroscience.”
“Can psychiatry explain — much less treat — the ‘biopsychosocial’ illnesses by reducing them to underlying diseases of the brain? Or must psychiatry make room for perspectives in psychology, sociology, and anthropology, and progress as a humanist branch of medicine?” a press release about the conference asks.
Suggested themes for papers include, “What is the relation of aesthetics (e.g. literature, film) to psychology?”, “What can a renewed focus on culture and society teach us about specific mental illnesses, such as eating disorders, depression, or anxiety?” and “Can society itself be ‘sick?’’
The organizers invite 250-word abstracts by October 3rd, 2014. The full press release is on the h-madness blog.
Call for Paper – Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference – Psychiatry Student Interest Group Network (h-madness, September 11, 2014)
