A Philosophical Approach to Mental Health Based on Hans-Georg Gadamer’s Hermeneutics

There is a need for innovative and holistic interventions to address mental illness. Conventional approaches tend to overlook individualized experiences and experiential dimensions and these oversights lead to limited understanding and insufficient treatments, thereby compromising patient outcomes. In this study, based on his doctoral research, Edmond Charley reviews a novel approach to mental health based on philosophy, specifically Hans-Georg Gadamer's hermeneutics. This prioritizes and values professional empathy, interpretation, and interactions between caregivers and patients in understanding and treating mental illness. The analysis offers valuable insights that will benefit mental health professionals and practitioners, including social workers, nurses, patient advocates, and more.