Psychodynamic Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, Third Edition expands and deepens the material in this already classic text. It provides a truly integrative psychodynamic approach that draws on studies from neuroscience and psychopharmacology as well as psychoanalytic theory to provide a synthesis of diagnostic understanding and treatment as a guide to the busy clinician and students in mental health professions.
The book is divided into three sections. The first section lays the foundation by looking at basic principles and the leading psychoanalytic theories from which psychodynamic psychiatry derives. Applications of psychodynamic thinking to assessment of the patient, pharmacotherapy, group therapy, marital/family therapy, and multiple-treater systems, such as day hospital and inpatient treatment, are also covered. In addition, there is a detailed chapter on individual psychodynamic psychotherapy.
Section 2 consists of a series of seven chapters on the major Axis I psychiatric disorders. In each chapter the author does not limit himself to psychodynamic psychotherapy. Rather, he illustrates how psychodynamic thinking can be applied to every clinical situation regardless of which treatment modality is being used by the clinician. In addition, the diagnostic understanding and treatment approach is guided by an integration of recent data that draws on literature from biological psychiatry, psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, and psychoanalysis.
The third and final section discusses the major Axis II disorders from a similar perspective. Each of the DSM-IV personality disorders is examined in terms of what is known about the etiology and pathogenesis of the disorder and how to construct and implement a comprehensive treatment plan that is based on psychodynamic thinking.
Both experienced clinicians and students in the mental health professions will benefit from the author's comprehensive but easily understandable approach to all of the major psychiatric disorders encountered in clinical practice.
Reviews
"This remarkable book is scholarly, lucid, and offers a compelling description of the central role of psychodynamic psychiatry in every aspect of modern psychiatric practice. Dr. Gabbard's prose and up-to-the-minute scholarship provides the intellectual foundation and clinical opportunity for the psychiatrist to focus on the individual needs of each of his patients with the depth of understanding that a knowledge of psychodynamics can provide. This volume covers the full range of psychiatric disorders and clinical situations, and provides every clinician with the opportunity to understand his patients more deeply and treat them more effectively. The book can be read as a whole or dipped into as a reference. Either way, it is invaluable." -Arnold M. Cooper, M.D., Professor Emeritus in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Cornell University Medical College, New York, New York
"Remarkably clear, readable, and scholarly, this generation's foremost teacher of psychodynamic theory and practice makes their role in psychiatry more recognizable, compelling, and up-to-date than ever. Gabbard again deploys his talents to create a unique resource for every clinician who works -or who wants to work - within this sector of mental health." -John G. Gunderson, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School/Director, Psychosocial and Personality Research, McLean Hospital,, Belmont, Massachusetts
"Once again Dr. Gabbard has given us a text that is dynamic in two senses. He clearly presents the theory and practice of psychotherapy involving unconscious and conscious dynamic conflict, transference and countertransference. His writing is lucid, his thinking clear, his use of the literature scholarly. Dr. Gabbard provides us with a dynamic read about psychodynamics." -David Spiegel, M.D., Professor and Associate Chair of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
