Mini Shorter Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry

Descriptive Psychopathology

 Is the objective description of abnormal state of mind avoiding.

 Pre-conceived ideas or theories,
 Limited to conscious experiences and observable behaviour.
 Sometimes called phenomenology/phenomenological descriptive psychopathology.
 Read, Stanghelini G, descriptive psychopathology as basic science in psychiatry Br J
Psychiatry 2014

Aim of the descriptive Psychopathology

Elucidate the essential qualities of morbid mental experiences and to understand each
patient each patient’s experience of illness.

(Ability to elicit, identify, & interpret the symptoms) Fundamental Professional skill

Q, who was the most important exponent of descriptive psychopathology?

A, Karl Jaspers (General Psychopathology 1913)

‘’Read new book by Oyebode 2014 on descriptive Psychopathology”.

Experimental Psychopathology

Seeks to explain abnormal mental phenomena, as well as to describe them. One of the first
attempts was Psychodynamic Psychopathology.