THE HEALING ALLIANCE

Prompted by their conviction that the family is often ignored by therapists, the authors -- all mental health professionals -- write of the family's reaction to a sick adult or child in its midst. The responses -- ranging from uneasiness, confusion, denial, minimizing, ostracizing, guilt, shame and grief -- affect the patient enormously; moreover, the dynamics of the family are causally connected to the patient's illness. Hence, the therapist must seek collaboration with all those concerned. In this light, the authors explore different therapies (analysis, groups, behavior modification, etc.) and offer case histories to illustrate various disorders (schizophrenia, depression, neurosis, etc.). Their approach is largely conventional: they accept the possibility of both biological and environmental factors; they follow traditional classification; besides psychotherapy, they find value in drugs and electroshock. Yet one must add that they are critical, compassionate and undogmatic. An admirable text.