Interpretation of Schizophrenia

by Silvano Arieti

A leading authority on schizophrenia draws upon his years of studying and treating the disease to illuminate the psychodynamics, symptoms, psychosomatic aspects, psychotherapy, and physical therapies of schizophrenia

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Psychiatry, Science

541 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Silvano Arieti (June 28, 1914 in Pisa, Italy – August 7, 1981 in New York City) was a psychiatrist regarded as one of the world’s foremost authorities on schizophrenia. He received his M.D. from the University of Pisa and left Italy soon after, due to the increasingly racial policies of Benito Mussolini.

Arieti was professor of psychiatry at New York Medical College. He was also training analyst in the Division of Psychoanalysis at the William Alanson White Institute, and editor of the six-volume American Handbook of Psychiatry. His Interpretation of Schizophrenia won the 1975 National Book Award in Science.[1]

Arieti undertook psychotherapy of schizophrenic patients, an unusual approach that few of his colleagues chose to pursue. The views he expressed in Interpretation of Schizophrenia are now professionally called the trauma model of mental disorders and constitute one alternative to the mainstream medical model of mental disorders.

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 2 out of 5]

dated...yet fascinating stuff...especially after consuming ummmm chemicals for years...err...hmmmn

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know it is weird to have so enjoyed reading an old, out-dated text book, but I did. I read it for research into the state of treatment for schizophrenia in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, and it did a better job of that than anything else I found. The information was clearly and logically presented, but with a lot of truly warm humanity in it. I came to really enjoy knowing Dr. Arieti, who did not blush at stating his own opinions strongly. He really cared for his patients and I am sure he really helped many. He helped us to also see the patient as a suffering individual, but someone for whom there was hope. Now-a-days his ideas of psychodynamics and the psychogenophrenic mothers of the world are known to be inaccurate and usually quite unhelpful, but in his day, it was really cutting edge. Sadly, he passed on in 1981 at the age of 67. I would have loved to hear his opinions on the current state of the field. https://g.co/kgs/N5TI2n