[Diagnosis-specific psychotherapy]

The paper outline the fundamental features of a psychotherapeutic method which combined and integrates a psychosocial approach with a biological one. The basic concepts which justify an integrated approach are illustrated and the main stages of the technique are described. The treatment focuses on the definition of a diagnosis in line with the criteria of DSM-III-R; based on the diagnosis the therapist tries to identify the possible interactions between the symptomatic characteristics of the mental illness and its implications in a psychosocial context, before analysing them together with the patient. The method can be combined with all major traditional models of psychotherapy and does not rule out more in-depth analysis.