Nils Haak 1906-1983

Nils Haak, a member of the Swedish Psychoanalytical Society, died on July 3, at the age of 77.

He took his M.B. in Lund in 1931 and his licentiate's degree in Stockholm in 1938. His interest in psychiatry and psychoanalysis started early. Already as a medical student he was an assistant at the Psychiatric Clinic of the Karolinska Institute. In 1937 he became an assistant doctor at St. Erik's Hospital in Stockholm, and thereafter served at various psychiatric hospitals until 1947, but also gained solid experience in general medicine and surgery. In the years 1938-39, he served at the Surgical Department of the Sahlgrenska Hospital in Gothenburg, 1940-42 at Sveg Hospital, 1942-44 at the Serafimer Hospital in Stockholm, and 1945-46 at Skellefteå Hospital. He was also appointed district medical officer at Mariefred. In the years 1946-1950 he was the head of the Sex Hygiene Advice Bureau at the Sabbatsberg Hospital in Stockholm.

Nils Haak started his psychoanalytical education with Alfhild Tamm in the 1930's. Ever since the end of the 1940's he was a leading representative of psychoanalysis in Sweden. After 1949, he was President of the Swedish Psychoanalytical Society for three periods and during a long succession of years he also acted as a teacher and supervisor at the Institute of the Psychoanalytical Society. In the 1950's, he was in private practice as a psychoanalyst and nerve-specialist.

In the years 1959-60, Nils Haak was a ward physician and deputy assistant chief physician at the Beckomberga Hospital in Stockholm. When the Psychiatric Department of St. Göran's Hospital in Stockholm was opened in 1961, he was called to be Head of its outpatient clinic and held that position until he retired in 1971. Ever since the start of the clinic, he took part in the education of medical students and in psychotherapeutic internal training. He was also a supervisor of psychotherapy at the Karolinska Hospital. For many years, he acted as a lecturer on courses in the theory a