Joseph Wolpe, M.D., in his letter to the editor in the November 15, 1991 issue, is seriously misinformed. Outcome and efficacy studies of psychoanalysis have taken place over many years, and a comprehensive review of them appears in volume 39, number 4, of the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association by Bachrach et al.
Briefly, it states that “six systematic clinical-quantitative studies of terminated analyses have been completed in recent times involving 550 patients experiencing a broad range of pathology. …” The studies support clear conclusions that patients who enter treatment improve, that those who remain in treatment to mutually agreed termination achieve significantly better results than those who do not, and that those who were able to engage optimally in the full psychoanalytic process had even better outcomes. “The majority of patients selected as suitable for analysis derived substantial therapeutic benefit and improvement rates are typically in the 60-90 percent range.…”
Qualified psychoanalysts are unquestionably the most carefully selected and highly trained of all psychotherapists. The current resurgence of interest in psychoanalysis as a therapeutic method appears to be a likely signal that many patients are dissatisfied with the result of shorter, shallower, alternative approaches.
Hence I agree with Dr. Wolpe that “psychiatrists owe it to their patients to acquaint themselves with therapeutic resources that research has established”—including psychoanalysis.
George H. Allison, M.D.
Seattle, Wash.