COLUMNS: PsychotherapyBeyond the Chief ComplaintClemens, Norman A. MD Author Information Norman A. Clemens, MD, is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University and training psychoanalyst in the Cleveland Psychoanalytic Center Journal of Psychiatric Practice 17(4):p 285-287, July 2011. | DOI: 10.1097/01.pra.0000400266.75784.da Buy Metrics Abstract Key to the psychiatric evaluation is opening the narrative of the life events and emotional states associated with the emergence of the presenting symptoms. This is fundamental to establishing a therapeutic alliance and laying a foundation for the psychotherapeutic part of the treatment plan. Three composite case examples illustrate common patterns of such discovery in a psychotic illness, panic disorder, and depression. (Journal of Psychiatric Practice 2011;17:285–287) Copyright © 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
