Ordinary psychosis and the body : a contemporary Lacanian approach

"What is psychosis? How do we recognise it? Is it treatable? These deceptively simple questions point to complex problems that have occupied clinicians for centuries. In today's consulting rooms - perhaps more than ever before - clinicians are faced with a broad array of difficult to diagnose patients with demanding treatment challenges. One response to the problem of diagnostic uncertainty is to revisit the rich psychiatric and psychoanalytic literature on milder psychosis, a category marginalised in today's psychiatry. This book draws on contemporary theories of psychosis developed by Lacanian theorists in the World Association of Psychoanalysis to examine body disturbances in milder forms of psychosis. By focussing on body phenomena in conjunction with three practical elements of treatment - the onset of psychosis, psychotic states, and stabilisation - Jonathan D. Redmond shows that the problem of embodiment made evident by psychosis should be central to clinical assessment and treatment possibilities"-- Read more... Abstract: "What is psychosis? How do we recognise it? Is it treatable? These deceptively simple questions point to complex problems that have occupied clinicians for centuries. In today's consulting rooms - perhaps more than ever before - clinicians are faced with a broad array of difficult to diagnose patients with demanding treatment challenges. One response to the problem of diagnostic uncertainty is to revisit the rich psychiatric and psychoanalytic literature on milder psychosis, a category marginalised in today's psychiatry. This book draws on contemporary theories of psychosis developed by Lacanian theorists in the World Association of Psychoanalysis to examine body disturbances in milder forms of psychosis. By focussing on body phenomena in conjunction with three practical elements of treatment - the onset of psychosis, psychotic states, and stabilisation - Jonathan D. Redmond shows that the problem of embodiment made evident by psychosis should be central to clinical assessment and treatment possibilities" Cover 1 Contents 6 Acknowledgements 8 Introduction 10 1 Mild Psychosis, the Body and Ordinary Psychosis 15 1.1 The decline of mild psychosis in contemporary psychiatry 15 1.2 The marginal status of body disturbances in mild psychosis 21 1.3 A return to mild psychosis: The neurosis/psychosis distinction and ordinary psychosis 29 1.4 Ordinary psychosis and the body 37 1.5 Conclusion 38 2 Case Studies on Ordinary Psychosis and the Body 40 2.1 The treatment of psychosis and the construction of a symptom 40 2.2 Onset, triggering events and body disturbances in ordinary psychosis 43 2.3 Clinical vignettes: Ordinary psychosis and the problem of embodiment 44 2.4 Conclusion 60 3 Modern Psychiatry and Lacan’s Theory of Psychosis 62 3.1 Modern psychiatry and de Clérambault’s theory of automatisms 62 3.2 Lacan’s classical theory of psychosis, elementary phenomena and paranoia 69 3.3 Ordinary psychosis, elementary phenomenaand the suppletion 76 3.4 Conclusion 80 4 Competing Lacanian Views of Psychosis and the Body 81 4.1 Freud’s theory of the actual neuroses and psychoneurosis 83 4.2 The actual neuroses and Verhaeghe’s theory of actualpathology 89 4.3 Actualpathology, body phenomena and the field of ordinary psychosis 99 4.4 Conclusion 101 5 Revisiting the Body in the Onset of Psychosis 103 5.1 Imaginary identification, ordinary psychosis and untriggered psychosis 104 5.2 The mechanism of triggering and disturbances to phallic signification 109 5.3 The onset of psychosis, triggering events and the Name-of-the-Father 119 5.4 Conclusion 122 6 Ordinary Psychosis, Stabilisation and the Body 124 6.1 Generalised foreclosure and the neurosis/psychosis distinction 125 6.2 The functions of the Name-of-the-Father and the compensatory make-believe Name-of-the-Father 128 6.3 The hole in the Other: Elementary phenomena and the sinthome 138 6.4 Body events and body phenomena in psychosis 144 6.5 Conclusion 151 Afterword 153 Notes 156 References 164 Index 174 What Is Psychosis? How Do We Recognise It? Is It Treatable? These Deceptively Simple Questions Point To Complex Problems That Have Occupied Clinicians For Centuries. In Today's Consulting Rooms - Perhaps More Than Ever Before - Clinicians Are Faced With A Broad Array Of Difficult To Diagnose Patients With Demanding Treatment Challenges. One Response To The Problem Of Diagnostic Uncertainty Is To Revisit The Rich Psychiatric And Psychoanalytic Literature On Milder Psychosis, A Category Marginalised In Today's Psychiatry. This Book Draws On Contemporary Theories Of Psychosis Developed By Lacanian Theorists In The World Association Of Psychoanalysis To Examine Body Disturbances In Milder Forms Of Psychosis. By Focussing On Body Phenomena In Conjunction With Three Practical Elements Of Treatment - The Onset Of Psychosis, Psychotic States, And Stabilisation - Jonathan D. Redmond Shows That The Problem Of Embodiment Made Evident By Psychosis Should Be Central To Clinical Assessment And Treatment Possibilities-- 1. Mild Psychosis, The Body And Ordinary Psychosis -- 2. Modern Psychiatry, Elementary Phenomena And The Lacanian Theory Of Psychosis -- 3. Formations Of The Unconscious, Actual Neurosis And Body Phenomena In Psychosis -- 4. Case Studies: The Onset Of Psychosis, Body Phenomena And Stabilisation -- 5. The Onset Of Psychosis, Body Phenomena And The Imaginary In Ordinary Psychosis -- 6. The Symptomatisation Of The Body And Stabilisation In Ordinary Psychosis -- Conclusion. Jonathan D. Redmond. Current Lacanian ideas on psychosis have much to contribute to the complex and often surprising forms of psychotic symptomatology encountered in clinical practice. By focussing on the unique experience of individuals with psychosis, this book examines the centrality of body phenomena to both the onset and stabilisation of psychosis. What is psychosis? How do we recognise it? Is it treatable? These deceptively simple questions point to complex problems that have occupied clinicians for centuries. In today's consulting rooms - perhaps more than ever before - clinicians are faced with a broad array of difficult to diagnose patients with demanding treatment challenges. One response to the problem of diagnostic uncertainty is to revisit the rich psychiatric and psychoanalytic literature on milder psychosis, a category marginalised in today's psychiatry. This book draws on contemporary theories of psychosis developed by Lacanian theorists in the World Association of Psychoanalysis to examine body disturbances in milder forms of psychosis. By focussing on body phenomena in conjunction with three practical elements of treatment - the onset of psychosis, psychotic states, and stabilisation - Jonathan D. Redmond shows that the problem of embodiment made evident by psychosis should be central to clinical assessment and treatment possibilities