Psychoanalysis in Asia

Gerlach, Alf; Hooke, Maria Teresa Savio; Varvin, Sverre

doi:10.4324/9780429478819

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…It took more time to discuss the principles of confidentiality in therapy with this patient than it typically takes with younger Chinese patients. To develop a “sense of trust in doubt” ( 29 ) in elderly depressed Chinese patients, the IPT therapist must carefully attend to the formation and maintenance of the therapeutic alliance and sensitively address concerns about privacy and confidentiality so the patient can feel safe to self-disclose in therapy. As the therapeutic bond develops, the therapist should gently encourage the elderly patient to discuss their complicated feelings within a supportive therapeutic relationship, reframe their somatic symptoms of depression into culturally relevant psychological constructs, help them find appropriate ways to communicate their needs and feelings with significant others, and increase their comfort in seeking out the support of others ( 14 ), especially when they feel distressed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of interpersonal psychotherapy for late-life depression in China: A case report

Koszycki

2023

Front. Psychiatry

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ObjectivesInterpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is an effective treatment for late-life depression, but little is known about its acceptability and efficacy in Chinese patients. This case report describes the use of IPT in a depressed elderly Chinese man.MethodsThe patient was a 79-year-old widower who lives alone in a large city in China. This was his first contact with a mental health specialist. His wife died one ago, and his only child lives in the United States with her husband and children. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his daughter could not visit him, and his usual social interactions decreased, leaving him feeling isolated, lonely, and depressed. He was diagnosed with a major depressive episode and initially prescribed venlafaxine. However, he failed to show an adequate response to medication and the side effects were intolerable. He was switched to a low dose of Duloxetine (60 mg) combined with IPT.ResultsThe patient’s baseline score on the 17-item Hamilton depression rating scale (HAM-D) was 29, suggesting severe levels of depression. He received 12 sessions of IPT. Role transition was the focus of therapy. Although the patient expressed discomfort in therapy, he developed a good rapport with the therapist and was compliant with treatment. Clinical recovery was achieved at the end of acute IPT treatment (HAM-D score = 1).ConclusionResponse to IPT was excellent in this elderly patient, but several points should be noted. First, mental health-related stigma in China can affect treatment engagement. Second, older Chinese are reluctant to speak openly about their personal experiences and feelings. Hence, repeated emphasis on the principles of confidentiality in psychotherapy and forming a strong therapeutic alliance are important. Third, the “empty-nest” household is an emergent phenomenon in China. Helping elderly Chinese navigate changes in traditional Chinese living arrangements and negotiate filial piety with offspring who have moved away are important issues to address in therapy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of interpersonal psychotherapy for late-life depression in China: A case report

Koszycki

2023

Front. Psychiatry

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“…The importance of the new Chinese frontier to the International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA) was demonstrated when it held its conference celebrating its 100th year in Beijing in 2010. Apropos, several books on psychoanalysis in China and Far East have appeared in print (Akhtar, 2009; Bollas, 2012; Gerlack, Hooke, & Varvin, 2013; Plankers, 2014). These authors collectively convey enthusiasm and excitement accompanying the arrival of psychoanalysis in China.…”

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Review of Psychoanalysis in China.

Yi¹

2017

Psychoanalytic Psychology

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The fruitful ambiguity of Qi allows philosophers to explore realms of being which are inconceivable to people constricted by a Cartesian dichotomy.-Tu Wei-Ming, Confucian Thought: Selfhood as Creative Transformation. (p. 37)Post-Mao China, with its 1.4 billion people and the world's second largest economy, is transforming itself at a dizzying speed. Unprecedented changes in political, economic, and social arenas, such as market privatization, the migration of millions of rural workers to cities, and the rise of the super wealthy and a large, new middle class, to name just a few, are reshaping the Chinese psyche as well. Individuals' identities once tied to family, kinship network, and the collective community, are giving way to individual identity and autonomy (Kleinman et al., 2011). In this new world, it is up to individuals to procure jobs and to create opportunities, rather than wait for a party or state assignment. Expression of individual desires, ranging from spiritual, material, educational, sexual, to affective, all of which have been previously restrained, are encouraged and even celebrated through mass media and the Internet. One upshot of this postsocialist cultivation of subjectivity is "Psycho-boom." Psychology and psychotherapy books, seminars, and even a TV show depicting therapy are popular. Obtaining certificates in psychotherapy and counseling is gaining wide appeal. A part of this Psycho-boom is a strong interest in psychoanalysis (perhaps because psychoanalysis's emphasis on the sanctity of individual subjectivity).This Chinese interest comes at a difficult time for psychoanalysis in the West, where it is facing a deep decline. It has responded to the Chinese interest with enthusiasm, setting up various training programs for Chinese mental health professionals, and providing opportunities for remote psychoanalysis and supervision via Skype with Western analysts. The importance of the new Chinese frontier to the International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA) was demonstrated when it held its conference celebrating its 100th year in Beijing in 2010. Apropos, several books on psychoanalysis in China and Far East have appeared in print (

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