On a previous thread, the question of the effectiveness of Psychanalysis came up. Since then, I have done some research.
A recent article* summarized the results of three literature surveys, and the author came up with the following conclusions:
1. For major affective disorders, and major psychoses, psychpharmacological treatment works best.
2. For symptomatic anxiety based disorders, such as phopias, generalized anxiety disorders, panic disorder, obsessive complulsive disorder, and post - traumatic stress disorder, cognitive and behavioral treatments work best.
3. For personality disorders and complex comorbid disorders with an underlying personality disorder, long term relationship therapies work best. Among these theraputic types would be pscyhoanalysis.
So, in the history of theraputic intervention, psychoanalysis has gone from a cure all, to one method of several that can be called upon to help in category three above.
Misuse of psychoanalysis. Case 1. A woman with a phobia spent 10 years in psychoanalysis at a cost of $20,000 with no improvement. With cognitive/behavioral intervention she was cured in three months.
Case 2. A woman became severely depressed and was placed in a mental hospital at the age of 28, where she stayed for two months. Talking therapy did not help and this woman had reoccuring episodes for the next 15 years. At that point, lithium treatment for manic depressives was introduced. Once this woman was put on lithium, she never had another episode again.
* References provided upon request. I don't want to be accused of being a name dropper