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Cognitive Behavioral and Pharmacological Interventions for Mood- and Anxiety-Related Problems

An Examination from an Existential Ethical Perspective

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Mental Illness and Public Health Care

Part of the book series: Biomedical Ethics Reviews ((BER))

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Abstract

Can ethical theory inform the choice of intervention in circumstances under which there is more than one effective treatment available? We argue that the philosophical and ethical perspective of existentialism (which emphasizes the autonomy, responsibility, and free choice of the individual) can help answer this question. In our analysis, we selected depression- and anxiety-related problems as examples because they are associated with two alternative intervention approaches of demonstrated efficacy. These alternatives are cognitive behavior therapy and pharmacotherapy. Although both treatments would be considered to be reasonably ethical from a teleological ethical perspective, existential philosophy would suggest that the former has an additional ethical advantage.

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Authors
  1. David Cruise Malloy
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  2. Thomas Hadjistavropoulos
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    James M. Humber  & Robert F. Almeder  & 

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© 2002 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Malloy, D.C., Hadjistavropoulos, T. (2002). Cognitive Behavioral and Pharmacological Interventions for Mood- and Anxiety-Related Problems. In: Humber, J.M., Almeder, R.F. (eds) Mental Illness and Public Health Care. Biomedical Ethics Reviews. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-088-9_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-088-9_3

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61737-310-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-088-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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