Harvey J. Schwartz – författare

This text brings together 37 nationally recognised psychodynamic psychiatrists who discuss in detail their understanding of how to work with specific types of patients. Separate chapters on clinical syndromes, including some of the most challenging that psychiatrists encounter - for example in self-destructive, post-traumatic and abused patients - provide both a historical review of dynamic perspectives and a discussion of differential diagnosis and treatment selection for each disorder. Clinical examples illustrating the underlying psychodynamic conflicts of patients with these disorders are presented as well. Also addressed in this volume are the psychological aspects of the settings in which therapy is practiced and the ways in which those settings affect both the psychiatrist and the patient. The final section contains chapters on current topics of particular relevance - the psychology of prescribing and taking medication, the meaning and impact of interruptions in treatment, and the provocative findings of new outcome research and cost-offset studies. The text closes with a recommended curriculum for training in psychodynamic psychiatry.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE PSYCHOANALYTIC APPROACH TO THE WAR NEUROSES The survivors of traumatic events have long been known to suffer psychological sequelae. Of all possible stressors, combat is one of the most devastating. Wartime exposes its victim to a myriad of stimuli that are far beyond those of civilized life. The impact that remains can affect generations to come. In recent years there has been a paucity of research on the long­ term effects of battle. Particularly after the recent war there was initially an inclination to minimize the psychological impact of combat. It was only after concerted effort by a few dedicated clini­ cians that formal recognition was granted to the current version of the war neuroses. In the parlance of the day it was called the Post­ traumatic Stress Disorder (Figley, 1978). This phenomenologic diagnosis has been instrumental in bringing the necessary attention to this condition. Its applicability has been tested across a wide range of stressors, from man-made to natural. Few workers in the field now doubt the power of traumatic events to leave a profound impression on the victim. Contrary to previous thought, it has now been found that this imprint often becomes a chronic scar. Copyright © 1984 by Spectrum Publications, Inc. Psychotherapy of the Combat Veteran, edited by H. ). Schwartz.