Abstract
It is common for clinicians working in psychiatry and related clinical disciplines to be called on to make diagnostic clinical judgments concerning moral anxiety, which is a kind of anxiety that is closely bound up with decisions individuals face as moral agents. To make such a judgment, it is necessary to make a moral judgment. Although it has been common to acknowledge that there are ways in which moral and clinical judgment interact, this type of interaction has remained unacknowledged. This raises questions as to the nature and limits of psychiatry—particularly concerning the extent to which psychiatric discourse ought to incorporate moral discourse, and the role of the clinician as an expert in identifying problematic anxiety.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Psychiatric Association. 2013. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 5th edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Clark, D.A., and A.T. Beck. 2011. Cognitive therapy of anxiety disorders. New York: Guilford Press.
Kant, I. 1999. Groundwork of the metaphysics of morals. In Practical philosophy, eds. Trans. M.J. Gregor. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (Original work published 1785).
Kierkegaard, S. 1983. Fear and trembling. In Repetition, ed. Trans. E.H. Hong, H.V. Hong. Princeton: Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1843).
Kurth, C. 2015. Moral anxiety and moral agency. Oxford Studies in Normative Ethics 5: 171–195.
National Institute of Mental Health. 2015. Strategic plan for research (NIH Publication No. 15-6368). Retrieved February 23, 2016, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/.
National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d). Construct: potential threat (“anxiety”). Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/research-priorities/rdoc/constructs/potential-threat-anxiety.shtml#gene_183.
Pellegrino, E. 1977. The anatomy of clinical judgments: some notes on right reason and right action. In Clinical judgment: a critical appraisal, ed. H.T.F. Towers, 169–194. Dordrecht: D Reidel Publishing Company.
Ruscio, A.M., M. Lane, P. Roy-Byrne, P.E. Stang, D.J. Stein, H.-U. Wittchen, and R.C. Kessler. 2005. Should excessive worry be required for a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder? Results from the US National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Psychological Medicine 35 (12): 1761–1772.
Van Haute, P. 2002. Against adaptation. New York: Other Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Murray, B. Clinical judgment, moral anxiety, and the limits of psychiatry. Med Health Care and Philos 20, 495–501 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-017-9771-4
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-017-9771-4