ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the psychotic process can begin in childhood in those children who isolate themselves and avoid the company of other children their own age. The main therapeutic objectives when treating a psychotic patient are two: the first is to try to rid the patient of his perception problems and thought distortions; the second is to develop his personality, for a long time trapped within the psychotic construction. As for prognosis, the relationship between the psychotic part and the healthy part needs to be assessed to understand how far the psychotic process has advanced. Psychoanalytic method uses the mind’s natural employment of intuitive emotions connected to the capacity for self-observation of mental and emotional processes. In psychotic states, thoughts are without a thinker because the Ego has undergone fragmentation. Another achievement of psychoanalysis that can help us understand psychosis in greater depth is new knowledge on child development.
