ABSTRACT
A psychodynamic approach makes it possible as well as necessary to get emotionally deeply involved with the psychotic patient. Any psychodynamic therapy working with psychotic patients has to pursue the tasks and accountabilities of social psychiatry, which involves to recognise the patient's need for a containing environment and effective community care; but which involves to provide support for family members and close relatives. Any psychotherapist working psychodynamically with patients in psychotic states must the only supportive factor in the patient's life, in other words, the therapist must keep in mind that his role is not confined to providing individual psychotherapy for his patient. Every psychotherapist who decides to get involved with psychodynamically oriented work with psychotic patients can draw upon valuable concepts and models of the mind applicable to psychosis. To be sure, competent treatment of psychoses requires specialised professional knowledge and relies upon a number of preconditions as described in detail in the factor model.
