Psychoanalytic therapy

Karon, B. (2005). Recurrent psychotic depression is treatable by psychoanalytic therapy without medication. Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry, 7, 45-56. 

Sigmund Freud, an Austrian physician who began his career in the 1890s, focused on psychological disorders that he felt were caused by memory disturbances. Freud felt mental illness occurs when unpleasant childhood memories are repressed, or kept from consciousness. His highly influential theory of psychoanalysis is in fact based on the concept that memories can be repressed, and he developed psychoanalytic therapy to uncover those memories and cure the patient. 

A. Individual psychoanalytic therapy including out-patient or residential psycholytic treatment and follow-up visits in psychoanalytic one-on-one sessions. 

B. Individual psychoanalytic therapy with psycholytic one-on-one sessions and follow up meetings in group therapy. 

Although it has received the most attention, CBT is not the only form of psychotherapy that is effective for depression. Other psychological treatments include interpersonal psychotherapy, short-term psychodynamic therapy and non-directive supportive therapy. Interpersonal psychotherapy focuses on problems that arise in interpersonal relationships, such as marital conflict, the loss of a loved one and social isolation.20 Short-term psychodynamic therapy focuses on acquiring insight and understanding of unresolved conflicts arising from the person s childhood. It is based on Freud s psychoanalytic theory, but requires only months, rather than the years it takes for a full psychoanalysis.21 Non-directive supportive therapy provides a warm, supportive atmosphere in which the depressed person can explore life issues... 

In addition to antidepressant drugs, some forms of psychological treatments have been shown effec tive for treatment of major depressive disorder. These include cognitive behavioral psychotherapy and interpersonal psychotherapy (Weissman, 1979). These therapies differ from traditional psychoanalytically oriented methods in that the therapist takes an active role, the patient is expected to do homework, and the treatment is time limited, usually for about six months. Little data are available regarding whether the combination of medications and psychotherapy is more effective than either treatment alone, but data are suggestive of an additive effect. 

O Fenichel. The Psychoanalytic Theory of Neurosis. New York Norton, 1999. DH Shapiro, J Astin. Control Therapy. New York John Wiley and Sons, 1998. JH Norcross, MR Goldfried. Handbook of Psychotherapy Integration. New York Basic Books, 1992. 

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