COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
CENTER FOR PSYCHOANALYTIC TRAINING AND RESEARCH
Elective – Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Depression
Drs. Fred Busch and Eric Marcus
The goals of this course will be to learn a psychoanalytic formulation for depression, identify
modifications of psychoanaytic treatment techniques that are helpful depression, become
familiar with psychoanalytic approaches to intrapsychic conflicts and defenses associated with
depression, learn about management of beginning, middle and termination phases in depression
treatment, develop a psychoanalytic understanding of psychotic depression, and understand
issues involving medication use with psychoanalytic approaches.
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing
Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of the American Psychoanalytic Association and the Columbia University Center for
Psychoanalytic Training and Research. The American Psychoanalytic Association is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical
education for physicians.
The American Psychoanalytic Association designates this Live Activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit per hour of instruction.
Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
IMPORTANT DISCLUSURE INFORMATION FOR ALL LEARNERS: None of the planners and presenters of this CME program have any relevant
financial information to disclose.
Background readings:
Freud S: Mourning and melancholia (1917), in The Standard Edition of the Complete
Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, Vol 14. Translated and edited by Strachey J.
London, Hogarth Press, 1957, pp 239–258
Jacobson E: The psychoanalytic treatment of depressive patients, in Depression and
Human Existence. Edited by Anthony B. Boston, MA, Little, Brown, 1975, pp 431–443
Rado S: The problem of melancholia. Int J Psychoanal 9:420–438, 1928
1: Rationale for studying the psychodynamic and psychoanalytic treatment of
depression. Beginning discussion of psychoanalytic models of depression.
Chapters 1 and 2 of Psychodynamic Treatment of Depression, by Busch, F. et al, 2004
2: Completion of discussion of psychoanalytic models of depression with
proposed overarching model. Addressing dynamics of depressions, part I:
narcissistic vulnerability.
Chapters 2 and 6 of Psychodynamic Treatment of Depression, by Busch, F. et al, 2004
3) Addressing dynamics of depression, part II: angry reactions to narcissistic
injury and the severe superego.
Chapters 7 and 8 of Psychodynamic Treatment of Depression, by Busch, F. et al, 2004
4) Addressing dynamics of depression, part III: idealization and devaluation,
defense mechanisms.
Chapters 9 and 10 of Psychodynamic Treatment of Depression, by Busch, F. et al,
2004
5) Addressing transference and countertransference, characterological factors in
depression, analytic vs. dynamic treatment.
Chapter 5 of Psychodynamic Treatment of Depression, by Busch, F. et al, 2004
Marcus ER. Integrating psychopharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, and mental
structure in the treatment of patients with personality disorders and depression.
Psychiatr Clin North Am. 1990 Jun;13(2):255-63. Review.
6) Understanding and treatment of near psychosis and psychotic depression.
Marcus ER (2003). Near psychotic structure, chapter 3 in Psychosis and near
psychosis: ego function, symbol structure, treatment. Springer.
7) Analytic approaches and psychopharmacology.
Chapter 14 of Psychodynamic Treatment of Depression, by Busch, F. et al, 2004
chapter 8 in Psychotherapy and Medication., by F. Busch and L. Sandberg, 2008, pps
119-128 only
8) Difficult cases and suicidality.
Chapters 12 and 13 in of Psychodynamic Treatment of Depression, by Busch, F. et al,
2004