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Session 1

Session 9, 3/3/08

Course Overview:

• DSM-IV

• Psycho- pharmacology

• Development

• Course Texts

Westchester Institute

for Training in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy

A Course On DSM-IV, Pharmacotherapy and Developmental Diagnosis

Jeffery Smith, MD

Course Description

This course is meant to serve two purposes. First, as a psychoanalytically oriented therapist you will need a basic grasp of the American Psychiatric Association DSM-IV Diagnostic criteria for psychiatric disorders. In addition, it is extremely valuable to have some familiarity with basic psychopharmacology related to the diagnostic categories. Second, my original motive for agreeing to teach this course was an interest in bringing to the school some ideas about combining psychoanalysis with other techniques. The link between these apparently different subjects is psychological development.

Understanding development helps with diagnosis

As we talk about diagnostic categories, I will share ideas about development and how a psychodynamic understanding of child development helps make sense of symptoms exhibited by patients.

Understanding development helps make sense of how psychotherapy really works

I will present ideas (which you will find throughout this website) on how ultimately psychotherapy of all types leads to two kinds of lsating change: Catharsis, in which frozen emotions are released and detoxified, and internalization, in which the contents of the superego (values, ideals, prohibitions, and attitudes) become parts of the self, sometimes throught normal development, sometimes as pathology, and sometimes in therapy.

Knowing how therapy works helps guide technique

While my background and most comfortable mode of working is psychodynamic, I believe that understanding catharsis and internalization in detail helps immesurably in knowing how to relate to your patient, how to guide therapy, and what techniques to use at a given moment.

 

Texts we will be using:

DSM-IV Made Easy, James Morrison: Gives the criteria and makes sense of them for those times when you need to understand a DSM-IV diagnosis or make one.

Clinical Psychopharmacology Made Ridiculously Simple, Preston & Johnson: A very short and terrifically informative book that gives you more than you will be able to retain and is quite up to date.