Abstract
With the medical profession's growing awareness of the patient as a psycho-biological entity, psychiatric assessment and treatment have become so prevalent that the physician is expected to appreciate the emotional aspects of illness and often required to include psychotherapy in his office or bedside routine. Some cases would be more effectively handled by him than by the psychiatrist; others demand special skills and should be referred to a colleague with the requisite training.
Many misunderstandings and disappointments could be avoided if the medical practitioner had a clearer view of the specific indications and methods, scope and limits of psychiatric care. In this paper, discussion is restricted to psychotherapy and an attempt is made to differentiate between its various types and applications; special attention is given to psychoanalysis.
The common characteristics and basic postulates of psychotherapeutic techniques are examined. Their choice is determined by the relative importance of actual situations and internal conflicts, the dynamic structure of the psychological disorder and the objective of symptomatic relief or personality change.
The mechanism of the cure, particularly the transference reactions, are compared. Adjustment to reality and reeducation of the patient are opposed to his confrontation with his unconscious world.