title: Comments on Mohammed Abouelleil Rashed's "A critical perspective on second-order empathy in understanding psychopathology: phenomenology and ethics".
abstract: Understanding the mental life of persons with psychosis/schizophrenia has been the crucial challenge of psychiatry since its origins, both for scientific models as well as for every therapeutic encounter between persons with and without psychosis/schizophrenia. Nonetheless, a preliminary understanding is always the first step of phenomenological as well as other qualitative research methods addressing persons with psychotic experiences in their life-world. In contrast to Rashed's assertions, in order to achieve such understanding, phenomenological psychopathologists need not necessarily adopt the transcendental-phenomenological attitude, which, however, is often required if performing phenomenological philosophy. Additionally, in the course of these (non-philosophical) scientific endeavors, differences between persons with psychosis/schizophrenia and so-called normal people seem to have a methodological function and value driving the scientist in her enterprise. Yet, these differences do not extend to ethical dimensions, and therefore, do not by any means touch ethical equality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité University Medicine, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany, jann.schlimme@charite.de.
authors.forename: Jann E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Schlimme
authors.forename: Osborne P
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Wiggins
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Schwartz
mesh_terms: D032882:Comprehension; D004645:Empathy; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D010686:Philosophy, Medical; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology
references.citation: Theor Med Bioeth. 2015 Apr;36(2):97-116
references.pmid: 25820144