ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author argues that for defining a disease per se, a triad of criteria is necessary: a specific origin or etiology, a specific syndrome of symptoms, and a specific course of treatment. A simile taken from the field of organic disease may be helpful in evaluating the unitary concept of mental illness. The unitary concept of mental illness, propounding that mental disorder is a systemic disease rather than a number of separate diseases, the author shows a major breakthrough in psychiatry, which may lead to a basic reorientation in theory and clinical practice. In all probability, there are biochemical and physiological disturbances in the brain mechanism, possibly linked with genes, which are connected with mental dysfunction. A biological, as distinct from a biochemical approach, will have to take into consideration the various aspects of the human being and of mental illness.
