The aim of this project is to elucidate the nature of psychiatric disorders. We will investigate to what extent the analytical tools of so-called regulative or mindshaping theories in philosophy of social cognition allow us to articulate a plausible theory of what a psychiatric disorder is but also of what mental health is and how it relates to agency, i.e., the capacity of an individual to carry out actions according to his or her desires, preferences or will.

As a research project, we aim at the conclusion of our project to: a) show how our approach can position itself as a relevant view within the debate among theories of mental disorders; b) show how such a theory can provide plausible solutions to conceptual and empirical problems that are fundamental to psychiatric practice and to the development of a new theory of mental disorders; c) provide a framework for understanding mental suffering that patients, psychiatric professionals, and therapists can use to make sense of their practices and interventions without the stigma or negative effects associated with perceptions of mental disorders as organic illnesses or, conversely, as aspects of their identity for which they should be held morally responsible.