Autonomy and mental health

Lillehammer, Hallvard (2022) Autonomy and mental health. In: Colburn, B. (ed.) The Routledge Handbook of Autonomy. Routledge Handbooks in Philosophy. London: Routledge. ISBN 9780367258207. (In Press)

Abstract

The topic of mental health presents a distinctive set of problems for discussions of autonomy. First, there is a great deal of variation in the way autonomy is understood in the discussions of mental illness, disorder or incapacity. Second, on many of the standard ways of understanding autonomy it is at best unclear how the concept applies in the context of mental illness, disorder or incapacity. Third, with respect to ways of understanding autonomy that clearly do apply in the context of mental illness, disorder or incapacity it is at beast unclear why autonomy, so understood, should be thought of as being as important as it often is. In this chapter these problems are addressed by explicitly connecting questions about the value of autonomy to questions about what interests people have in virtue of their capacities to act and interact among ethically significant others. Book synopsis: The question of autonomy is fundamental to understanding some of the most important questions and debates in contemporary political and moral life, from freedom of the individual, free will and decision-making to controversies surrounding medical ethics, human rights and the justifications for state intervention. It is also a crucial concept for understanding the development of liberalism. The Routledge Handbook of Autonomy is a comprehensive survey and assessment of the key figures, debates and problems surrounding autonomy. Comprising over forty chapters by an international team of contributors, the Handbook is divided into five clear parts: Autonomy through History Foundations of Autonomy Threats to Autonomy The Significance of Autonomy Autonomy in Application. Within these sections all the essential topics are addressed, making The Routledge Handbook of Autonomy an outstanding reference source for those in political philosophy, ethics, applied ethics and philosophy of law. It is also highly recommended reading for those in related subjects, such as politics, social policy and education.

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