Socially caused suffering and individualized intervention
Mental healthcare is often criticized for treating socially-caused conditions with individual-level interventions. For example, anxiety caused by forced resettlement or depression caused by structural economic forces is treated with medication or psychotherapy. In my current project, I consider how the mental health field can and should respond to distress that comes from outside the individual sufferer. First, I argue that there need not be a perfect match between the cause of condition and its treatment. Sometimes, individual-level interventions are necessary when structural change is not imminent. However, there remains the risk of encouraging complacency about social injustice. Therefore, I argue further that, in cases of socially-caused suffering, individual-level interventions are never sufficient. When psychological distress is the result of oppressive social circumstances, and the social harm is ongoing, there is always a moral imperative to intervene on those social circumstances. I end by arguing that, in general, mental healthcare is not equipped to intervene socially–which highlights the importance of alternative forms of intervention such as social work and activism.
Mental disorder and the purview of mental healthcare
A central question in the philosophy of mental health is: What is mental disorder? Theorists tend to ground considerations of mental disorder in biological dysfunction or social values. In my recent paper “Beyond Biological and Social Normativity” I argue that we should instead see all concepts of mental disorder as being grounded in normative considerations. I argue further that there are a variety of different types of norms that mental disorders deviate from including individual, well-being, and regulatory norms. I end by considering how these conceptual considerations impact the aims and purview of mental healthcare. Drawing from Mad Pride, Disability Studies, and the Neurodiversity Movement, I challenge the assumed connection between deviation from the norm and psychiatric intervention.
Public engagement with science
I am the first author of a paper I wrote with Angela Potochnik called “Theorizing Participatory Research” which explores the roots of public engagement with scientific research and zeros in on the bioethical issues that participatory health research faces. I am also collaborating with the University of Cincinnati Center for Public Engagement with Science on a book-length Cambridge Element which provides tips for academics wanting to get involved in public engagement. This project is part of the Elements in Public Engagement with Science series.
