Psychoanalytic Diagnosis: A Book Review

Psychoanalytic Diagnosis  by Nancy McWilliams

Another great book by mcWilliams– this one focuses on how to diagnose from a psychoanalytic orientation and perspective.  This work does a fantastic job not getting bogged down in symptomatology like the DSM, and dives deep into the psychology of personality and character formation.  The main attempt in this book is to preserve the individual’s integrity , respect, and dignity while attempting to understand how a person’s character or psychology can manifest into disorder personality structures over tie and through childhood and adolescent development.  It is a compassionate book, seeking to ehlp other clinicians understand and organize their thoughts and cases in working with a vast array of patients.  And for those who are adverse to diagnosis– this book makes a compelling case for the benefits a ,as well as the drawbacks, to understanding a client’s issues from a pathological perspective.  This is a great resource for any new therapist or student, wanting to understand more about diagnosis and psychoanalytic thought in therapy.