Unconscious Communications by the Body in Catatonia-A Jungian Perspective.

Outside of specific motor conditions, bodily movements are rarely considered in contemporary psychiatry. Stereotypies and mannerisms in clinical cases of catatonia are seen as having no deeper meaning in contemporary psychiatry. Perhaps we are missing something that could be important for us and our patients. The psychiatrist and analyst Carl Jung suggested there was an unconscious communication, and therefore a meaning in psychotic symptoms, including the movements in catatonia. The unconscious is rarely considered in psychotic presentations, yet psychosis is a prevalent condition in clinical settings. In this article Jung's ideas are presented along with case examples that invite the reader to consider them in their own future practice.

Jung and Working with Acute Psychosis.

Carl Jung is one of the founders of depth psychology. What is less known is his career as a psychiatrist before the creation of his analytical psychology. Jung made significant contributions to the understanding of psychotic illness. However, Jung's contributions go largely unrecognized. This is a loss for the psychiatrist who wants to incorporate psychodynamic ways of working into their daily practice. In this short essay, I describe an overview of Jung's suggestions on treating acute psychosis. A comment follows on use in contemporary practice based on personal accounts and relevant literature.

A Case Study Using a Behavioural Contract in Alcohol Dependence within a Crisis Home Treatment Team.

In this case study, we present a novel approach to care within a Home Treatment Team, using a behavioural contract. This is a signed, written agreement that targets specific behaviours for change. The concept draws on social learning theory in that it requires social interaction and a relationship to work. In psychiatric settings, the behavioural contract often finds use in Democratic Therapeutic Communities but rarely in crisis or acute services. In this case study, we attempted to use a behavioural contract within our Home Treatment Team to help a patient address his alcohol dependence and its subsequent effect on his daily living activities. The behavioural contract provided an alternative way to manage a crisis episode. We hope that other crisis service staff reading this case study may use a behavioural contract in their work to a similar beneficial effect.