Systems Theory of Psychosis: “Filtering”, Comparison, Error Correction, and Its Defects

Abstract

One of the greatest unresolved problems in psychiatry is how to explain the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. On the one hand psychiatric genetics data demonstrate the existence of genetic/constitutional factors — on the other, no clear Mendelian rules of transmission can be demonstrated. There is a great variability of symptomatology and penetrance of the illness, and the disorder can be mimicked by many organic brain processes, e.g., different types of encephalitis, tumors, and drugs, especially psychotomimetics such as phencyclidine (PCP). Finally, also in healthy persons extreme situations such as sensory and sleep deprivation can precipitate psychotic symptomatology. Interestingly, schizophreniform psychoses appear to be confined to humans, indicating that it is especially the nature of the human mind which is disturbable by this type of illness. Therefore, to some extent, schizophrenic psychoses may be interpreted as having a quasi “intimate relation” to something which is highly characteristic for the human mind — like a negative template which mirrors the original. It is proposed here that this speciality of the human mind is its capability creatively to construe, stabilize and appropriately adapt “fictional realities.”

Nothing is known — everything is imagined

G. Leopardi, in Fellini’s La voce della luna