Psychiatry: A Very Short Introduction

Abstract

Psychiatry: A Very Short Introduction explores the nature of psychiatry, focusing on what it can and cannot do, and discussing why its history has been beset by dramatic shifts in emphasis and types of treatment. Considering the main disorders that have shaped its practice (such as schizophrenia and manic depression), it analyses how it differs from (and overlaps with) psychology and psychotherapy. Discussing philosophical issues of psychiatry’s legitimacy, this VSI explores the mistakes psychiatry has made and the blind alleys in its history, before looking forward to the problems associated with ageing populations and the likely changes in its practice with the coming of artificial intelligence and virtual reality.