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The Psychotic Wavelength: A Psychoanalytic Perspective for Psychiatry
The Psychotic Wavelength provides a psychoanalytical framework for clinicians to use in everyday general psychiatric practice and discusses how psychoanalytic ideas can be of great value when used in the treatment of seriously disturbed and disturbing psychiatric patients with psychoses, including both schizophrenia and the affective disorders.
In this book Richard Lucas suggests that when clinicians are faced with psychotic patients, the primary concern should be to make sense of what is happening during their breakdown. He refers to this as tuning into the psychotic wavelength, a process that allows clinicians to distinguish between, and appropriately address, the psychotic and non-psychotic parts of the personality. He argues that if clinicians can find and identify the psychotic wavelength, they can more effectively help the patient to come to terms with the realities of living with a psychotic disorder.
Divided into five parts and illustrated throughout with illuminating clinical vignettes, case examples and theoretical and clinical discussions, this book covers:
the case for a psychoanalytical perspective on psychosis a historical overview of psychoanalytical theories for psychosis clinical evidence supporting the concept of a psychotic wavelength the psychotic wavelength in affective disorders implications for management and education.
The Psychotic Wavelength is an essential resource for anyone working with disturbed psychiatric patients. It will be of particular interest to junior psychiatrists and nursing staff and will be invaluable in helping to maintain treatment aims and staff morale. It will also be useful for more experienced psychiatrists and psychoanalysts.
In this book Richard Lucas suggests that when clinicians are faced with psychotic patients, the primary concern should be to make sense of what is happening during their breakdown. He refers to this as tuning into the psychotic wavelength, a process that allows clinicians to distinguish between, and appropriately address, the psychotic and non-psychotic parts of the personality. He argues that if clinicians can find and identify the psychotic wavelength, they can more effectively help the patient to come to terms with the realities of living with a psychotic disorder.
Divided into five parts and illustrated throughout with illuminating clinical vignettes, case examples and theoretical and clinical discussions, this book covers:
the case for a psychoanalytical perspective on psychosis a historical overview of psychoanalytical theories for psychosis clinical evidence supporting the concept of a psychotic wavelength the psychotic wavelength in affective disorders implications for management and education.
The Psychotic Wavelength is an essential resource for anyone working with disturbed psychiatric patients. It will be of particular interest to junior psychiatrists and nursing staff and will be invaluable in helping to maintain treatment aims and staff morale. It will also be useful for more experienced psychiatrists and psychoanalysts.
- GenresPsychology
360 pages, Hardcover
First published August 14, 2009
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About the author
Richard Lucas
131 books7 followersRichard Lucas is a freelance writer and lifelong shortwave radio enthusiast. Axis Sally: The American Voice of Nazi Germany is the first thoroughly documented look at this mythologized figure of World War II.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 14, 2020
This is a difficult book to read casually and requires a psychoanalytic bent of mind to make sense. The authors main premise is simple: in major psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia/ bipolar or MDD, that may have a psychotic component, the main pathology is splinting of the self into a psychotic and a non-psychotic part. The psychotic part is driven by death instinct/ murderous rage etc and is in denial of reality and indulges in rationalization. There is a strong desire and need to evacuate any insights gleaned by the non-psychotic part in say therapy. Consequently, Lucas believes that denial and rationalization are the chief symptoms of psychosis rather than delusions and hallucinations.
Advocating therapy for psychosis, one needs to tune into the psychotic wavelength or by studying one's own counter transference reactions come to appreciate whether the communication is with the psychotic part of personality or the non-psychotic part.
The book is well illustrated with multiple case discussions, but is not to be read casually.
Advocating therapy for psychosis, one needs to tune into the psychotic wavelength or by studying one's own counter transference reactions come to appreciate whether the communication is with the psychotic part of personality or the non-psychotic part.
The book is well illustrated with multiple case discussions, but is not to be read casually.
Displaying 1 of 1 review