Psychotherapy and Eclecticism

In Reply: I appreciate Dr. Markowitz's calling attention to the importance of therapists being well informed about the treatments they employ. Adherence to one particular model may be particularly useful when dealing with psychiatric phenomena that respond to short-term therapy. However, the complexity of personalities and psychiatric illnesses often means that what will prove individually most effective demands integrating in a knowledgeable way an amalgam of the methods as currently defined.

As Kendler (1) wrote in a recent article in the American Journal of Psychiatry, "Psychiatric disorders are, by their nature complex multilevel phenomena. We need to keep our heads clear about their stunning complexity and realize, with humility, that their full understanding will require the rigorous integration of multiple disciplines and perspectives."