While we’re following up on the Freud podcast, I caught this interesting show from ABC National Radio in Australia on schizophrenia and philosophical investigation. The show is called All in the Mind, hosted by Natasha Mitchell. In this episode, she interviews Dr Paul Fearne, who suffers from schizophrenia but managed to acknowledge it, get help and get it under control with medication and therapy. After doing so, he both published parts of his personal journal, writes poetry and got a PhD in Philosophy. Here’s the link:
All in the Mind interview with Dr. Paul Fearne
The discussion is fascinating in itself, but he does specifically address the value of philosophical investigation in understanding schizophrenia, mentioning among other things:
- The difficulty in defining ‘schizophrenia’ and Wittgenstein’s thoughts on definition (e.g. ‘game’)
- Freud’s concept of schizophrenia
- Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of schizophrenia
We didn’t specifically touch on schizophrenia in reading Civ and it’s Discontents, but thought this might be of interest to our fans.
–Seth Paskin
Fascinating, just ordered the book. Freud incidentally didn’t think psychoanalysis was useful for the treatment of schizophrenia; the school at which I take classes was born out of the idea that schizophrenia could in fact be treated psychoanalytically (and so is very focused on theories of schizophrenia, aggression, etc.). Here’s another famous autobiographical account with a psychoanalytic focus: Autobiography of a Schizophrenic Girl: The True Story of “Renee”
And another autobiography: The Quiet Room: A Journey Out of the Torment of Madness
For me, I always believed I was going to be at the center of my own recovery from the schizophrenia I was diagnosed with. I was, but it was very apparent later that these were environmental factors i was dealing with. The injustices social injustices were demise. I was so happy to finally be done with delusion. What happened, I noticed, is that the more I faced the powers that spoke within my mind, the angrier they became and the more I was punished socially. There is something supernatural about why I have schizophrenia, that is a definite. I have experienced more than can be believed by many. I’m extraordinary. I’m chosen, and I’m highly persecuted where most are comforted. I dont know about anyone else, but I deserve my disability check and much much more. Maybe one day people will want to get to know me and join me where I go . Maybe one day they will acknowledge that we are useful.
I’m not on the committee of bleeding hearts, but they signed me up for it anyway. I try to educate people about the menaces in our society, only to be ignored or called crazy. I have to live with these people in my head (I found out the voices were people I come in contact with. I’m so clairvoyant that its painful. I was forced to reflect songs in my head and other things as well that arent meant to be done. It’s a form of slavery and ITS THE OPPOSITE of being New Worlx Order. It’s sad seeing all these hypocrites turn their back on truth and justice just to enjoy a song bbni tirelessly sing. Dont forget that when the hebrews wrote enslaved, God cursed them with death and other thungs.