According to the new professor, there has been a shift in our thinking about mental health, mental disorders and the organisation of care in recent years. Broadly speaking, the focus is gradually shifting from (dys)function in the individual person to the vulnerability and resilience of the individual in relation to their environment. In his research, Strijbos will investigate this shift and map out the implications for mental health care.
“Mental health care is changing. Health care professionals, patients, researchers and policymakers are seeking diagnostic and treatment options that align better with the complex reality of mental illness and recovery,” says Strijbos. “In doing so, they face fundamental philosophical questions. What is mental health? When do we call a problem a mental disorder? And how should we deal with the complexity of psychological suffering in our society? As Professor, I strive to deploy academic philosophy to help people involved in mental health care answer these questions.”
To achieve this, it is crucial to collaborate with patients and professionals, in Strijbos’s view. “Philosophy may be able to clarify complex concepts in mental health care, but not without input from people who use these concepts on a daily basis and for whom any shift in our thinking about these matters will have concrete consequences. With my research, I hope to contribute to a valuable dialogue, in which I can make use of my experiences as a psychiatrist, educator and philosopher.”
About Derek Strijbos
Strijbos (Nijmegen, 1979) obtained his Master's degree in Medicine from Radboud University in 2004, followed by his Master’s degree in Philosophy in 2006. He was awarded his PhD with a cum laude distinction in 2012 for his philosophical dissertation, in which he criticised then dominant theories of social cognition in terms of ‘theory of mind’ and advocated an understanding of social cognition as shared normative practices.
After obtaining his PhD, Strijbos specialised as a psychiatrist. Since 2020, he has been the director of the psychiatry residency program at the Dimence Groep institute for mental health care and wellbeing. There, he currently also works at a Top Clinical Mental Health Care (TOPGGz) centre for people with autism who have complex mental health problems and support needs.
Since obtaining his PhD, Strijbos has explored interfaces and built bridges between mental health care practices, the professional development of doctors and academic philosophy. This has resulted in various publications, teaching modules and collaborations.