The Philosophy department is delighted to announce that Magdalena Antrobus's paper 'Cognitive Benefits in Manic Depressive Illness' has been accepted for presentation at the 17th annual Oxford Philosophy Graduate Conference.

This is great news and a significant achievement from our Masters student. This conference is especially competitive as it receives a large number of submissions from PhD students studying at the top philosophy departments worldwide. Congratulations and we wish the best of luck with the presentation!

Here is the abstract of the paper:

This paper contemplates the possible existence of positive characteristics in Manic Depressive Illness (Bipolar Disorder / MD). Being one of the most acute mental diseases of our times, MD is associated with numerous deficits that span the everyday lives of people who suffer from the illness, including but not limited to memory, attention and learning. Surprisingly at the time of this paper there has been nearly no research published in respect of examining the cognitive traits of the illness, which could be viewed as positive or beneficial in any way. Considering the important gap in the literature, this paper inspects and helps to understand the role of five of the main positive factors: realism, empathy, spirituality, resilience and creativity. It is concluded that these qualities can constitute a significant beneficence in the outcome of Manic Depressive Illness and in the long term can contribute towards the strength of one’s character. It is argued here that, in this particular sense, Bipolar Disorder can be a valid part of human personal growth.