‘Worthy doctors […] allow me to come forward and lecture on this matter’: Thomas De Quincey and the experiential and sociocultural components of substance use
Nicholas Griffin, Alexander Smith, Michael Liebrenz
BJPsych Bulletin May 4, 2026 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1192/bjb.2026.10245 via OpenAlex
Summary
The article discusses the importance of the humanities in psychiatric discussions, using Thomas De Quincey’s 'Confessions of an English Opium-Eater' to explore his experiences with opium and its dependence. It highlights how De Quincey’s self-analysis prefigures psychoanalytic techniques and psychopharmacology. The text raises questions about the complexities of patient perspectives, therapeutic creativity, and the role of literature in understanding experiences, emphasizing literature's significance for psychiatric practitioners.
Study at a glance
| Key finding | The article emphasizes the relevance of literature in psychiatric practice, illustrated through De Quincey's exploration of opium use and its implications for understanding patient experiences. |
|---|
Abstract
Summary This article highlights the relevance of the humanities to psychiatric discussions. It considers Thomas De Quincey’s autobiographical Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1821), where the author charts his opium experiences and dependence. The text provides an intersection of subjective and objective evaluations of drug use, and records experiences undertaken before establishment of psychiatric disciplines. De Quincey’s self-analysis anticipates psychoanalytic techniques and psychopharmacology. This article raises questions applicable to the medical humanities, such as complexities of the patient’s voice, therapeutic creativity and how literature functions as a record of phenomenology. It underlines the relevance of literature for psychiatric practitioners.