[André Lamarche (1908-1985): a humanistic concept of psychiatry. Theoretical principles and methods of intervention]

Doctor Andre Lamarche died on december the fifth, 1985. He was a pioneering neuropsychiatrist, whose life and works have left a lasting mark on the field of social psychiatry. His professional training, on the one hand, and his spiritual evolution, on the other, led him to explore a double approach to therapeutic intervention and social-professional rehabilitation: biological methods and the therapeutic aspects of social life in his "Centers and Milieux de Vie" and in normal circumstance. His rich personal experience and his psychiatric practice showed him the importance of concrete reality, but also the importance of spiritual reality including qualities like courage, especially the courage to serve others, hope for the human person buried under deficient, mutilated appearances, and a deep confidence in life. This article will attempt to identify the principles underlying his accomplishments as well as the therapeutic techniques and the attitudes that characterize his personal approach.