The psychodynamics of psychosis † Brian Martindale & alison Summers

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) schizophrenia guideline (2009) recommends that healthcare professionals may consider using psychoanalytic and psychodynamic principles to help them understand patients’ experiences and interpersonal relationships. This is the first of a brief series of articles considering how NICE’s recommendation might be put into practice, outlining common psychodynamics in psychosis. These articles will draw attention to interpersonal features in psychosis, including those involving families and staff, and will discuss supportive psychodynamic psychotherapy for psychosis. The perspectives presented are intended to complement and enrich other frameworks rather than compete with them. The primary aim of these articles is to assist practitioners in understanding their patients and their needs.