The Soteria project recounted by Mosher and its clinical resonances today.

BACKGROUND: The American psychiatrist Loren R. Mosher has passed to posterity as an eager proponent of a psychosocial approach to psychosis. The best example of this is the Soteria project that he founded in San Jose, California, in the 1970s. The contribution of Alma Zito Menn, ACSW, also merits attention as project director of Soteria and for her links to the Mental Research Institute, Palo Alto. She was later replaced as program director by Voyce Hendrix, LCSW, when she turned to other preoccupations linked to the grant continuation of Soteria. Equally, the nonprofessional staff of the facility should receive appreciation. AIM/OBJECTIVE: Bearing this in mind, the main aim of this paper is to reflect upon the Soteria project, giving voice to Mosher himself, while simultaneously connecting his ideas with other empirical works that have been published on this topic in recent decades. METHODS: Using a selection from the extant literature assessing the implementation and outcomes of adapting Soteria-elements to different settings, I present here provisional results obtained from current research. First, I expound what Mosher hoped to achieve in creating Soteria and why it worked. In this respect, I go beyond what is commonly reported in scholarly works, where the Soteria project is considered without paying too great attention to its main architect, as if the project could be separated from the man who created it. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: As I have corroborated here, there is today growing and promising scientific evidence validating the principles of the Soteria project. Undoubtedly, this would not have been possible without the pioneering work of Mosher, who, imbued with the tenets of interpersonal phenomenology, shook the psychiatric establishment, leading others to follow the path that he had begun.

Laing and Rogers in London: An unfortunate meeting or something else?

BACKGROUND: In the summer of 1978 a large 1-day event was scheduled to take place in the Grand Ballroom at the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane, London between the psychotherapists Carl R. Rogers (1902-1987), and his associates, and Ronald D. Laing (1927-1989) and his group. From among all the eyewitness accounts of that meeting, I have found only the testimonies of Maureen O'Hara, Ian Cunningham, Charles Elliot, and Emmy van Deurzen. According to O'Hara, Laing behaved in a rude, impolite, and aggressive way toward his American colleague Rogers. For his part, Cunningham says that Rogers came over as he had expected: a genuinely nice, caring, humane person. Laing, though, was even more impressive in person than in his books. Similarly, Elliot observes that Laing and Rogers held a genuine encounter, one in which both sat like two real mutually respecting persons who asked each other questions, while the perspective of van Deurzen is more in line with that of O'Hara than that of Elliot. AIMS: Taking into account the different versions given on the Laing-Rogers event, I will analyze whether this encounter was only an unfortunate meeting or something else. METHODS: Narrative review; combining eyewitness accounts with the few sources found in the literature on this topic. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: As I will show here, all these accounts taken jointly paint a picture of Laing as a brilliant clinician and as a terrible man. Without exculpating Laing for committing all sorts of mischief, I will offer a tentative account of his behavior sustained by his own psychic dynamics. In doing so, I will attempt to explain why Laing reacted in so censurable a way, going beyond Thomas S. Szasz's (1920-2012) condemnation in his essay on antipsychiatry, which gives credence only to O'Hara's version without quoting more sources or posing more questions.

CULTURAL HISTORY OF PSYCHOANALYSIS IN THE AGE OF NEUROSCIENCE.

In this paper I have chosen the topic of psychoanalysis in the age of neuroscience, with the aim of showing why the cultural history of psychoanalysis still matters. To make myself better understood I shall refrain from evaluating the current findings in neuroscience and limit myself to reporting briefly on them. Although I do not regard myself by any means as an expert in that field, I may be permitted to offer a few ideas about it. In this regard, there is presently a significant predominance of biological ideologies and practices regarding the treatment of mental illness, which implies an increase in the interest in etiology, nosology, definitions, and the effectivity of treatments. Even so, those psychoanalytic historians and/or analysts among us who are committed to psychoanalysis and its therapeutic implications, irrespective of what drugs might be prescribed and what the research findings might conclude, believe that patients still want to be listened to in depth and always will. For that reason, it is justified to ask why the cultural history of psychoanalysis still matters in a contemporary mental health environment that is ever more oriented towards the neurosciences.

Debating asylum psychiatry: Did Szasz misrepresent the Basaglian psychiatric project?

BACKGROUND: The Italian anti-institutional psychiatric movement is closely associated with the name of F. Basaglia, whom Szasz in his 188-page essay on antipsychiatry labels a 'real phony' (in similar terms to others considered antipsychiatrists such as D. Cooper, R. Laing, E. Goffman and M. Foucault). Specifically, Szasz says of Basaglia and his work in psychiatry that it's a 'prevarication-illusion about the end of asylum psychiatry in Italy'. AIM/OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to determine whether Szasz's assessments were reliably based on scholarly knowledge of Basaglia's psychiatric work, or can better be attributed to Szasz's misrepresentation of his Italian colleague. METHODS: In considering this question, the paper is timely but, more importantly, it is also unique in considering Basaglia and Szasz together. It is beyond the scope of this article to examine Basaglia's career in detail, and references to it will be made only to clarify Szasz's assertions regarding Basaglia. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: As I will show here, Szasz misconstrued the Basaglian project for a new kind of psychiatry, and for the transformation and closure of the old asylum system. This erroneous view of Basaglia by Szasz is partly associated with his idea that Basaglia and other antipsychiatrists were supported by the modern socialist-therapeutic State.

In honor of Jurgen Ruesch: Remembering his work in psychiatry.

BACKGROUND: In a highly technical civilization like ours, in which the interest in human communication transcends academic barriers and clinical practice, it seems necessary to look back to Ruesch's work in psychiatry. The main reason of it rests upon the idea that he was one of the few truly outstanding clinicians, researchers, and theoretical in the field of normal and abnormal communication. In fact, he did not only present a wealth of observational and clinical data; more importantly, he used these data to formulate creative hypotheses about the conflict between man and other human beings. AIM/OBJECTIVE: The main purpose of this article is to pay tribute to Dr. Jurgen Ruesch (1909-1995), distinguished psychiatrist, communications experts and psychotherapist. For that reason, here we want to pay tribute to the enormous value of his work for the promotion of mental health and the clinical assessment of normal and pathological communication behavior. METHODS: In working out his theoretical stance toward communication, all Ruesch's works here have been reviewed. In line with this, the author also mentions similarities between Ruesch and other psychiatric/psychotherapeutic authors. Also similarities have been established between Ruesch and Frank on "non specific factors in psychotherapy", and tensions within contemporary training of psychiatrists, almost predicted by Ruesch. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: While some of Ruesch's ideas about the nature and origins of communication has been discounted, many of his preoccupations are now part of the mainstream, and it is to here that we should look for evidence of his legacy. In fact, he has been the author of rich and fruitful ideas, which are essential to clinical understanding of mental diseases and their treatments. It is not surprising, therefore, that Ruesch's burning interest in the clinical assessment of normal and pathological communicative behavior finds a significant echo in today's proliferation of books, papers, and conferences on communication. For all that, we should honor him.

La elevada prevalencia del TDAH: posibles causas y repercusiones socioeducativas / High prevalence of ADHD: Possible causes and socio-educational impact

La gran prevalencia del trastorno de déficit de atención e hiperactividad (TDAH) evidenciada en los últimos años, como sus repercusiones en el entorno socioeducativo y familiar, nos ha llevado a interrogarnos acerca de los factores causales subyacentes a dicha prevalencia. Hemos encontrado así en la revisión sistemática hecha las distintas metodologías utilizadas para elaborar tales estimaciones, así como los diferentes criterios usados para el diagnóstico, debiendo también referirse la medicalización que el TDAH ha recibido, no sólo incrementada por el juicio clínico, sino por la presión que las empresas farmacéuticas llevan a cabo para que se prescriban determinados medicamentos

The high prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) evidenced in recent years and its impact on the socio-educational and family environments led us to question about the underlying causal factors for this increase. In a systematic review, we found different methodologies in use for obtaining data, as well as different diagnostic criteria. Also of significance is the medicalization of ADHD, which has increased not only as a result of clinical judgment, but also as a result of pressure by pharmaceutical companies to prescribe certain medications

The Relevance of Arieti's Work in the Age of Medication.

This paper looks at the relevance of psychoanalysis as a treatment option for psychotic individuals at a time when psychosis is invariably considered to be a biologically-based brain disease, for which the preferred course of treatment is psychotropic medication. In recent years, the use of psychoanalysis has declined noticeably in favor of evidenced-based biomedical approaches, which rely heavily upon statistical probabilities for ameliorating specific psychotic symptoms. Well-publicized biological approaches have proliferated, often to the detriment of the psychotic individual's general health, emotional recovery, and long-term rehabilitation. Sadly, these approaches may also be a significant factor affecting mortality rates in those suffering with psychosis, known to be about 25 years shorter, on average, than the general population.

Cartografiando la pedofilia: eficacia de los tratamientos y estrategias futuras / No disponible

Para orientar el trabajo de los profesionales de la salud mental que trabajan con pedófilos se necesitan evaluaciones clínicas rigurosas que aporten evidencias de la eficacia de las intervenciones psicoterapéuticas y/o psicofarmacológicas. Con ese propósito, se revisan aquí distintos hallazgos obtenidos hasta hoy en el tratamiento de los pedófilos. Aunque los hallazgos son incipientes, la literatura científica sugiere ciertas anomalías en el neurodesarrollo asociadas a tal parafilia. También hay evidencia empírica que avala la eficacia del abordaje multimodal que combina los tratamientos cognitivo- conductuales usados con medidas psicosociales y/o jurídicas. Los avances que puedan producirse en la explicación etiológica de la pedofilia ayudarán en el futuro a adoptar programas de prevención y tratamiento más eficaces

To guide the work of mental health professionals who work with pedophiles rigorous clinical evaluations that provide evidence of the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic interventions and / or psychopharmacological are needed. To that aim, here they are reviewed various actual findings in the treatment of pedophiles. While the findings are emerging, the scientific literature suggests certain neurodevelopmental abnormalities associated with such paraphilia . There is also empirical evidence supporting the effectiveness of multimodal approach combining cognitive-behavioral treatments used with psychosocial and / or legal actions. The advances that may occur in the etiological explanation of pedophilia help in the future to adopt prevention programs and more effective treatment

Una contribución a la historia del psicoanálisis en España / No disponible

Con este trabajo pretendemos contribuir a la reconstrucción histórica del asentamiento del psicoanálisis en España, para lo que recogemos algunos detalles de las diversas ediciones de las obras completas de Freud en nuestra lengua, así como de su correspondencia, además de una reflexión crítica sobre las consideraciones que hizo Ortega en torno al psicoanálisis, algunas notas sobre los pioneros que posibilitaron el desarrollo de este saber entre nosotros y ciertas referencias respecto al nacimiento de las principales instituciones psicoanalíticas en España (AU)

In this paper we intend to make a contribution to the historical reconstruction of the development psychoanalysis in Spain. Some details from the different editions in our language of Freud’s complete works and his correspondence are gathered. A critical reflection on the considerations Ortega made about psychoanalysis, some notes about the pioneers that made possible the development of this field among us and certain references on the birth of the main psychoanalytic institutions in Spain are also included (AU)

Comunicación en trastornos del espectro autista: hallazgos iniciales y nuevos retos / Communication in autism spectrum disorders: early findings and new challenges

En este trabajo se analizan algunas dificultades comunicativo-relacinales del espectro autista, partiendo de sus primeros hallazgos para después abordar ciertas intervenciones psicoeducativas y retos terapéuticos suscitados en la actualidad(AU)

This paper discusses some difficulties relacinales communicative autistic spectrum, based on their initial findings and then address certain psychoeducational interventions and therapeutic challenges raised today(AU)

R. D. Laing: un “rebelde” que desafió el orden psiquiátrico imperante / R. D. Laing: a “rebel” that challenged to the psychiatric establishment of his time

En este trabajo se analiza el pensamiento de R. D. Laing, uno de los padres del llamado movimiento antipsiquiátrico, para quien la locura conformaba una reacción racional frente a la sinrazón y el envilecimiento tecnológico del hombre(AU)

This paper analyses the thinking of R. D. Laing, one of the fathers of so the so-called anti-psychiatric movement, for whom madness represented a rational reaction against irrationality and the technological debasement of human beings(AU)

J. N. Rosen: un pionero controvertido en el abordaje psicoanalítico de la psicosis / J. N. Rosen: a controversial pioneer in the psychoanalytic approach into psychosis

En este trabajo se analiza la trayectoria vital y profesional de J. N. Rosen, un pionero controvertido en el abordaje de la psicosis desde la óptica psicoanalítica (AU)

This paper analyses the life and the work of J. N. Rosen, a controversial pioneer in the approach of psychosis from a psychoanalytic perspective (AU)

Marguerite Séchehaye, una pionera en el estudio psicoanalítico de la esquizofrenia / Marguerite Séchehaye, a pioneer in the psychoanalytic research into schizophrenia

En este trabajo se analiza la trayectoria de Marguerite A. Séchehaye, pionera en el estudio de la esquizofrenia desde la óptica psicoanalítica (AU)

This paper analyses the life and the work of Marguerite A. Séchehaye, a pioneer in the study of schizophrenia from a psychoanalytic perspective (AU)

Breve revisión histórica del autismo / Brief historical review of autism

Reflexión acerca del desarrollo histórico y estado actual en la investigación del autismo (AU)

Reflection on the historical development and present state of research into autism (AU)

Compromiso social e ideales políticos en Paul Federn / Paul Federn - social commitment and political ideals

En este trabajo se reflexiona acerca de la labor política y de genuino compromiso social desarrollada por P. Federn desde su doble rol de psicoanalista y de militante del partido socialdemócrata austriaco, tareas en las que resultó decisiva la influencia ejercida por el psicoanálisis freudiano, como así se manifiesta en su ensayo intitulado Psicología de la revolución: la sociedad huérfana de padre (1919), en el que expresa sus reflexiones acerca de lo que acaecido en Europa después de 1918, de las que se hará eco S. Freud, que lo citará dos años después en Psicología de las masas y análisis del yo (1921), siendo esto interpretado por algunos autores como muestra de la influencia de Federn en su redacción. El auge del nazismo, sin embargo, truncará las esperanzas de cambio sociopolítico propugnadas por Federn, que se exiliará a Estados Unidos, en donde su pretérita adscripción política será malinterpretada, al equipararse socialdemócrata con comunista, siendo entonces denunciado en un periódico neoyorquino, eclipsando así la seria labor de crítica social desplegada por Federn a lo largo de toda su vida (AU)

This study considers the political involvement and genuine social commitment developed by P. Federn from the perspective of his dual role of psychoanalyst and activist within the Austrian social-democratic party. The influence of Freudian psychoanalysis in both these spheres was to prove decisive, as can be seen in his essay Psychology of the Revolution: the fatherless society (1919), in which he expresses his reflections on events in Europe after 1918. Freud himself would echo his thoughts, citing the essay two years later in Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego (1921), which some commentators see as evidence of Federn's influence on the work. The rise of Nazism, however, put paid to Federn's hopes for socio-political change, and he left Europe for the United States, where his previous political affiliations were misinterpreted, as social-democracy was equated with communism. He was denounced by a New York newspaper and his life-long work as social critic was undermined (AU)

Breve historia del psicoanálisis en Rusia / A short account of psychoanalysis in Russia

En este trabajo abordamos los orígenes y el desarrollo del psicoanálisis en Rusia, en lo que las cuestiones políticas fueron muy influyentes, como fue el caso de la Revolución de 1917 y la dictadura de Stalin, cuyo mandato sumió al país en un colapso socio-institucional hasta que la Perestroika rompió con el régimen autocrático imperante, facilitando el advenimiento de un nuevo orden social, gracias a lo que en Rusia se reabrieron las puertas al psicoanálisis y a otras influencias culturales y científicas de Occidente (AU)

In this work we look at the origins and the development of psychoanalysis in Russia. Political events such as 1917 Revolution or Stalin´s dictatorship that left Russia in a social-institutional collapse played a crucial role. With the Perestroika uprising a new social order was created, allowing the practice of psychoanalysis and opening the door to other cultural and scientific Western influences (AU)

El análisis no-médico, ¿una controversia superada? / Non-medical analisis: no longer a controversy?

En este trabajo llevamos a cabo una reconstrucción histórica de la controversia entorno al análisis no-médico (laico, lego o profano), que enfrentó a los norteamericanos y los centroeuropeos desde mediados los años veinte a los cuarenta del pasado siglo, habiendo sido Theodor Reik una figura central en todo ello. A partir de la institucionalización de la psicología y la aparición de las diversas psicoterapias, el asunto tomó un camino razonable, asumiéndose hoy la posibilidad de la práctica del análisis clínico por los profesionales no médicos en todo el mundo occidental (AU)