Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. The Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist and a Psychiatrist Perspective

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms are experienced by approximately 2-3% of the general population, this is the disorder that is not only one of the most common psychological disorders, but also one of the most difficult to treat pharmacologically and psychotherapeutically. The aim of this research is to systematise the numerous articles, papers and theories concerning obsessive-compulsive disorder as well in the field of psychoanalysis, where data are often presented in a fragmented and partial manner, without forming a complete methodology suitable for differential diagnosis and effective work with patients. In contrast to the structured approaches proposed in the ICD-10 and DSM-5 medical manuals, which focus on diagnostic criteria and treatment, psychoanalytic sources in russian language do not provide a coherent and consistent description of the psychopathology and problems of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The lack of publications documenting successful psychoanalytic practice in the treatment of OCD makes it difficult to further disseminate and validate the psychoanalytic method in the treatment of this disorder. These issues are examined in three chapters of the research: the first chapter explores the psychiatric view of OCD. The second chapter reviews the psychoanalytic view of OCD. The third chapter is devoted to the empirical part and the analysis of clinical cases (two classical cases of Z. Freud's - "Wolf Man" and "Rat Man" and the case of the patient). The conducted analysis of theoretical material on OCD problems allowed us to formulate methodological criteria of the disease from two fields of knowledge (psychiatry and psychoanalysis), and to mark the main directions and focuses of attention of psychoanalytic psychotherapy with patients suffering from OCD. This research paper and the recommendations formulated in it are intended for psychoanalytic therapists and psychotherapists working with patients suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder.