Eugenio Borgna

Eugenio Borgna died in Borgomanero on 4 December 2024 at the age of 94, concluding a medical career that spanned seven decades. As a psychiatrist, university teacher, and essayist, he focused his professional output on the study of mental and neurological disorders, consistently advocating for a humanistic approach to patient care within the Italian clinical landscape.

Academic Foundation

Borgna began his formal education at the University of Turin, graduating in medicine and surgery in 1954. He continued his academic and professional progression at the University of Milan, where he earned a specialisation in nervous and mental diseases in 1957. During this period, he joined the university faculty, establishing a long-term professional connection as a lecturer.

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Clinical Reform in Novara

In 1963, Borgna assumed the role of director for the women's ward at the psychiatric hospital in Novara. His tenure was marked by significant departures from established psychiatric norms of the era. He implemented a policy that prohibited the use of mechanical restraints and coercive therapeutic methods. Instead, he introduced a framework built upon direct dialogue and sustained interaction with the patients under his care.

Phenomenological Psychiatry

Throughout his career, Borgna acted as a proponent of phenomenological psychiatry. His methodology aligned with the principles championed by Franco Basaglia, emphasizing the subjective experience of the patient. His extensive body of writing focused heavily on the conditions of schizophrenia and depression. These themes remained central to his intellectual identity until his final years.

Literary Contributions

Borgna maintained a prolific output as an essayist throughout his life. In 2005, his writing earned him the Bagutta Prize for his book L'attesa e la speranza. His focus on complex emotional states continued into his final months. In November 2024, Einaudi published his last work, L'ora che non ha più sorelle, which provided an examination of female suicide.