Psychosomatic Illness in Early Modern Italy: lessons for modern psychiatric theory and practice

这是人文学科和医学研究人员之间的开创性合作，将研究心身疾病在早期现代意大利的定义和传播方式。这种疾病的流行至今仍在发生，近几十年来对澳大利亚产生了重大的社会和经济影响。我们的项目将从“疑病症”的概念和交流的历史和文化差异中汲取现代精神病学理论和实践的经验教训。它将揭示精神病学中一个非常现代的伦理困境：医生应该对“疑病症”患者撒谎吗？它还将有助于目前关于疾病标签和信息在心身疾病发病率和“传染性”中的作用的辩论。

This pioneering collaboration between researchers in humanities and medicine will investigate the ways psychosomatic illness was defined and spread in early modern Italy. Epidemics of such illness still occur today and have had a major social and economic impact on Australia in recent decades. Our project will draw lessons for modern psychiatric theory and practice from historical and cultural differences in the conceptualisation and communication of 'hypochondria'. It will shed light on a very contemporary ethical dilemma in psychiatry: should doctors lie to 'hypochondriacal' patients? It will also contribute to current debates on the role of disease labels and information in the incidence and 'infectiousness' of psychosomatic illness.