Psychodynamic Therapy and the Journal

To the Editor: I was delighted to see the essay by Glen O. Gabbard, M.D., on Sigmund Freud (1). Freud, who began his medical career as a neurologist, would have been amazed at the articles that appeared in the same issue: research on brain function, descriptions of psychobiological mechanisms, and medications used for psychiatric disorders.

However, I think he would also have been confused that there was not a single article about psychodynamic issues or psychological treatment. As I think about it, I cannot recall any such articles in recent issues.

Last year, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education added the requirement that all residents in psychiatry must be competent in psychotherapy. If psychological treatment is to continue to be practiced by psychiatrists—and I think it must if our specialty is to survive—we must do more than give lip service to this requirement. It would help if the Journal would publish more articles in this area. Presentations of case histories together with discussions by experts might be a good beginning.