Diagnostics - Classification and Systematics in Psychiatry and Medicine

Othmar Maeser, MD, is a specialist in psychiatry and neurology and has been in private practice and as an expert witness in Feldkirch, Austria, for over 27 years. In this book the basic principles of diagnostics, classification and systematics in psychiatry and medicine are presented. This is possible with the help of the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. Through the basis of knowledge, the difference between university medicine and psychiatry as well as that to alternative medicine, complementary medicine and psychosomatics can be made clear. The consequences of the basis of knowledge are presented and discussed for practice and science. Because psychiatry has not paid attention to the basis of its knowledge for several decades, it is in danger of losing its rationally based structure and fragmenting as a science. The book is primarily addressed to physicians, but also to all others who are interested in the fundamentals of knowledge in the field of medical science and other disciplines of healing.

Othmar Maeser, MD has been working as a specialist in psychiatry and neurology for over 27 years in his own practice and as an expert witness. For family reasons, he first completed technical studies at the ETH Zurich and only then medical studies at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. After training as a general practitioner at Dornbirn Hospital, he went on to train as a specialist in psychiatry and neurology (majoring in psychiatry) at Rankweil Regional Hospital and Maria Ebene Hospital. Already during his medical studies he had been particularly interested in fundamental questions of diagnostics. Through the reference book 'General Psychopathology' by the psychiatrist and philosopher Karl Jaspers, he came across the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. This showed that through Kant's doctrine of ideas in the 'Critique of Pure Reason' the different basis of knowledge in psychiatry compared to university medicine can be presented. On this basis, the different diagnostics in psychiatry, compared to a large area of university medicine, are shown in detail with reference to quotes from Kant and Jaspers, and the different classification and systematics in these areas of medicine are explained. Thereby also the difference of the university (school) medicine to the alternative or complementary medicine and psychosomatics can be shown. In short chapters, based on the philosophy of Kant, the concepts of 'understanding' and 'explaining' in psychiatry and medicine, furthermore 'evidence', 'validity', 'reliability', the concept of 'cause' (causality), the 'norm' and others are presented. In the second part of the book, the consequences for practice and science, starting from the basis of knowledge, are explained and discussed. It can be shown that psychiatry as a science has been in danger of losing its rationally based structure and fragmenting for several decades, because of the non-(more) attention paid to the basis of its knowledge. Accordingly, the book is primarily addressed to physicians, but also to all others who are interested in the fundamental in relation to the knowledge in the various fields of healing.