The schizophrenic process elicits psychosomatic attempts to integrate the highest cortical functions at a lower level. With comparatively few exceptions this attempt fails because the process engenders other self-perpetuating mechanisms that lead to regressions.

The schizophrenic patient to be reported in detail in this chapter was never seen by the author, nor discussed in supervision with other colleagues. This chapter illustrates how much, in some instances, we can learn about the psychodynamics of schizophrenia from the special perspective of a close member of the family.

The psychodynamic study of these cases is hindered by several difficulties. The first is the rarity of these cases. Whereas in the past catatonic patients were quite numerous, now they have drastically diminished in number. The second difficulty lies in the manifest symptomatology, which lends itself to a psychodynamic study much less than do other types of schizophrenia.

The case of a patient suffering from schizophrenia manifesting as a syndrome in which the paranoid defenses failed to arrest the process, which proceeded toward a rapid regression will be illustrated.

Postpartum schizophrenic and schizophrenic-like psychoses must be considered in a larger frame of reference that includes all psychiatric conditions occurring after childbirth. The relations between pregnancy-labor-puerperium and the occasional occurrence of psychiatric conditions must be investigated.

This chapter presents a general description of schizophrenia, and then discusses the various types.

In this chapter we discuss patients in whom a slow psychodynamic development that appeared directed toward a schizophrenic outcome was diverted, arrested, or slowed down.

The competency of the psychiatrist is often measured by his ability to rule out from the classification schizophrenia many patients who present a schizophrenic-like symptomatology. Although no one can be absolutely sure what course a given patient will follow, a certain group of symptoms and factors tend to occur more frequently in patients who recover; on the other hand, other symptoms and factors tend to occur in patients with a poor outcome.

In this part of the book we shall examine the mechanisms with which the patient attempts to envision life in a less frightening manner.