The mind-body problem in contemporary psychiatry.

The mind-body problem is important for psychiatry clinically (the problems of interactionism and causality), semantically, and ethically (the problem of causality and free will). It includes the questions: What are minds? Do they exist? Are they ever free? How do they and bodies interact? The author reviews some important answers, in particular the brain-state theory and dualist interactionism, and outlines some implications for psychiatry and for controversies between psychiatry and other mental health disciplines.