Open Access

Andreas Heinz

• Controversies Over the Concept of Mental Disorders. Just like persons suffering from somatic diseases, those experiencing mental disorders, maladies, or diseases should be provided with care and protection from certain social demands. Yet, any disease concept should be precise enough to avoid classification of behavior as pathological while it is merely socially undesirable in the current political system. This paper reviews various conflicting concepts of disease, illness and sickness. In addition, it provides a narrower definition of a so-called clinically relevant mental malady. This definition is characterized by a) an impairment of mental functions relevant for human life (the disease aspect of a mental malady) and b) personal harm either due to suffering (the illness aspect) or impaired activities of daily living that severely limit social participation (the sickness aspect). This chapter claims that any definition of disease-relevant mental dysfunctions should be critically reflected regarding its philosophical and anthropological foundation and ethical consequences. Criteria of disease, illness and sickness should no longer be defined by groups of professionals selected by the WHO or other institutions, but instead require public debates that include organizations of patients and relatives.