The Treatment of Psychoneurosis in the British Army: H. A. Thorner. Int. J. Psa., XXVII, 1946, pp. 52–59.

Thorner's army experience differed markedly from that of Foulkes.1 Referring to Group Therapy he says, 'I have not used it and I am very sceptical about it… I do not think that the main benefit of personal contact between doctor and patient can be replaced by any method.' The therapeutic methods employed by Thorner were those of the civilian psychotherapist (except for an unremitting analysis of negative transference which was always present) with modifications imposed by the great number of patients for whom each therapist was responsible. Among these modifications was a self-written history obtained from each patient which proved time-saving and quite valuable. Since the object of the army therapist is limited to restoring a soldier's efficiency, the therapeutic aim was often achieved simply by changing the soldier's job to one which avoided those factors which precipitated his illness. Army service, according to Thorner, produced no neurosis or psychosis not found in civilian life (although it brought latent illness to the surface) except possibly one based on extreme 'battle exhaustion' from which rapid recovery was made under simple sedation. 'The best prognosis of all psychiatric cases', Thorner believes, 'is found in those cases with a mild and short psychotic episode'.