ABSTRACT
Our aim in this book has been to demonstrate the value of a psychoanalytic perspective in the understanding and treatment of psychotic disorders, and of the importance of making emotional contact with afflicted individuals from the first opportunity. We have illustrated the significance of a psychodynamic evaluation when breakdown occurs or appears imminent. The greater the sensitivity of the assessor to the patient's emotional reality and the better his understanding of psychodynamics, the more profound and accurate will be the evaluation. A treatment plan may then be formulated and implemented in accordance with the patient's needs and capacities, which may vary at different times. Such a plan coordinates psychodynamic. psychosocial, neurobiological, and pharmacological methods so that each occupies its appropriate place within a comprehensive, fluid grasp of the patient's problems.
