Madness and Historicity: Bioethical Perspectives

Abstract

This article examines, under the Bioethics approach, the theme of madness. This work aims to analyze philosophically the historicity of the conception of madness, the consequent treatments traditionally used for its confrontation and the constituent elements of the concept of normality. To this end, with the help of a literature review, a brief history of how madness has been defined and treated from the Middle Ages to the present day is drawn. Thus the medieval religious perspective is considered, as well as the modern rationalist and empiricist tendencies on the subject. Following this path, one arrives at contemporaneity with its two main conceptions about madness: disease or cultural phenomenon. Thus, indicating theoretical tendencies about the phenomenon of madness, it is sought to aid its better understanding, diagnosis and corresponding therapeutic decision making, contributing to make clinical practice more effective in its purpose of alleviating or curing disorders and promoting psychic health to those who they resort.