Psychiatry

Given the constraints in preparing the textbook, the authors did not aim to present any interpretations of the genesis of mental pathology, but rather attempted to more clearly describe the subject under consideration - the actual clinic of mental disorders, following the principle of formal logic, according to which the question 'what?' should precede 'why?'. An essential support in this context has been the incorporation of operational approaches to defining diagnostic criteria in modern classifications. At the same time, in several sections, modern views on genetic, neuroimaging, neurocognitive, behavioral, and other correlates of mental disorders are provided, which, according to the director of the National Institute of Mental Health in the USA, Thomas Insel, should form the basis of new approaches to systematization, alongside virtual constructs such as 'loss experiences', 'acute threat', and so on, which will likely signify another paradigm shift in psychiatry. However, will this lead to the desired result: the creation of a natural classification of mental illnesses? Perhaps, in this context, it is worth heeding the repeatedly cited opinion of N. Andreasen (1997): 'The application of high technologies without a combination of a sensible clinical approach, which should be possessed by specialists in the field of psychopathology, will represent a lonely, sterile, and probably fruitless initiative'. 3rd edition, revised and expanded.