What is Formulation in Psychiatry?
16 June 2022 [hybrid]
Dr Gareth Owen
This seminar aims to discuss what is meant by formulating a case in psychiatry. The practice of formulation has been both championed and denigrated within psychiatry historically but is somewhat dead currently or delegated to psychology. I will start from the premise that formulation needs resuscitating. But it needs re-thinking and I hope the Maudsley Philosophy Group will help.
The talk will trace how the problem of formulation is really the problem of holism. Holism manifests (differently) in: 1) the ‘biopsychosocial model’, 2) the concept of the ‘diagnostic hierarchy’ and 3) in the idea of ‘verstehen’ in distinction to causal explanation. All three perspectives will be critically discussed.
The seminar will be an in-person meeting at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, 16 De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill - seminar room 5. A hybrid option will be available, but we would like to encourage as many of you as possible to join us in person.