Commentary on Paolo F. Peloso’ paper "From surveillance to support. Some notes on dangerousness and control in psychiatry" (Psicoterapia e Scienze Umane, 2017, 51, 2: 285-296). Some key aspects of Paolo F. Peloso’s paper are critically examined. These aspects may lead to a generic view of the dangerousness in psychiatry, of its psychopathological origins, of the therapeutic tools, and of the problems of legal responsibility of the psychiatrist. It is highlighted how the paper’s background relies on some general issues of current Italian psychiatric culture, such as the role of non-scientific and counterfactual theoretical models in psychiatric work and management, the confusion between explanation and comprehension, the importance of having specific tools besides staff motivation and hope, and of providing clear reference points to the judge.
Keywords: Dangerousness in psychiatry; Psychiatric epis-temology; Comprehension versus explanation; Therapeutic tools; Medical responsibility