[Experience and interpretation--psychoanalysis in psychiatry]

The author describes a psychoanalytical liaison service conducted over a period of two years on behalf of a psychiatric ward for acutely demented patients. About one-sixth of the psychiatric patients admitted during this time were subjected to psychoanalytical examination. Psychiatric inpatient treatment was suggested for about one-tenth of them, i.e. two per cent of all referrals to the ward. Due to the introduction of a psychodynamic mode of viewing the cases, together with a patient-centered interpretation of interaction patterns, the general atmosphere in the ward changed gradually. The article concludes with general considerations as to the use of the psychoanalytical approach in psychiatry.