Alexander Moreira-Almeida
Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil.
Saulo de Freitas Araujo
Department of Psychology, UFJF, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil.

Abstract:

Background: Psychiatrists’ views on the mind-brain relationship (MBR) have marked clinical and research implications, but there is a lack of studies on this topic. Objectives: To evaluate psychiatrists’ opinions on the MBR, and whether they are amenable to change or not. Methods: We conducted a survey of psychiatrists’ views on the MBR just before and after a debate on the MBR at the Brazilian Congress of Psychiatry in 2014. Results: Initially, from more than 600 participants, 53% endorsed the view that “the mind (your “I”) is a product of brain activity”, while 47% disagreed. Moreover, 72% contested the view that “the universe is composed only of matter”. After the debate, 30% changed from a materialist to a non-materialist view of mind, while 17% changed in the opposite way. Discussion: Psychiatrists are interested in debates on the MBR, do not hold a monolithic view on the subject and their positions are open to reflection and change, suggesting the need for more in-depth studies and rigorous but open-minded debates on the subject.

Keywords:Mind-brain relationship, psychiatry, opinion, survey, psychiatrists.