Revista Internacional de Saúde Mental e Psiquiatria

Phenomenological Method in Clinical Practice of Psychiatry

Pedro Felgueiras* , Odete Nombora, Nelson Almeida and Raquel Ribeiro Silva

Phenomenology was one of the most influential 20th century philosophical movements. With the absolute prioritization of individual subjective experience, phenomenology seems the obvious philosophical strategy for reinstating the individual within medicine particularly in psychiatry. Our overall objective is to revisit the encounter of phenomenology with psychopathology, in particular the affinity of phenomenological approach with clinical psychiatry.

Non-systematic literature review about the viability of a psychiatric praxis of phenomenological orientation.

Phenomenological psychopathology looks for which manifests for itself and as it manifests the phenomena without any kind of presupposition (phenomenological epoche), and describing all possible perspectives of that (eidetic variations). Sometimes referred as “the heart of psychiatry”, it connects understanding with caring, promoting an exchange of perspectives with the patient and helping him to reflect upon his experiences and take a position on them. This dimension results of an empathic penetration. Psychiatry needs a common ground and a shared language. Phenomenology develops a method for understanding the patient’s own abnormal experience, assessing mental illness nosographic diagnosis and establishing a therapeutic course. Another important aspect of phenomenological method in clinical psychiatry is the opportunity to operate in parallel with the traditional bio-medical approach, reconciling the unique experience of individual with a neurobiological perspective.

In line with that, trainees and early career psychiatrists consider rediscovering phenomenology as a priority of their academic and clinical future, and for their patients to. To that participation of phenomenology in psychiatry it would be necessary more support in literature and larger numbers of experienced psychiatrists aware of this alternative clinical method.