PSYCHOANALYTIC WRITING. REVIEW OF D. L. KANTROWITZ’S «WRITING ABOUT PATIENTS: RESPONSIBILITIES, RISKS, AND RAMIFICATIONS»

Abstract

This article describes the structure and content of Judy Leopold Kantrowitz’s book «Writing about patients: Responsibilities, risks, and ramifications». This book is a comprehensive study of the complex and simultaneously fascinating topic of psychoanalytic writing. How do analysts decide what and how to write about their patients? How can they balance the need for scientific progress with the ethics of confidentiality? What are the risks of publishing clinical material, and how do they impact patients and the therapeutic process? The answers to these questions are the focus of Kantrowitz’s work, which offers a unique combination of theoretical reflections and practical experience. The author of the article briefly describes the content of each of the four chapters of the book, presented in the following order: «Analysts’ attitudes and practices», «Analysts’ perceptions of the effect on patients», «Patients’ accounts of the effect of reading about themselves», and «Other considerations in clinical writing». Overall, Kantrowitz examines the guidelines and practices of 141 psychoanalysts who have published clinical vignettes at least once and identifies changes in writing approaches depending on theoretical orientation and the author’s affiliation with a particular professional group, as revealed through publications in leading psychoanalytic journals. The article compares methods of preserving confidentiality using publications in journals such as International Journal of Psychoanalysis (IJP), Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association (JAPA), and Psychoanalytic Dialogues as examples. Kantrowitz separately addresses the experience of 37 patients who read texts about themselves, examining cases where patients independently found descriptions of their material, as well as their experiences discussing the texts with their therapists. The article will be useful for practicing psychoanalysts, researchers, and anyone interested in the ethics and practice of psychoanalytic writing. It encourages reflection on the relationship between clinical practice and publication, uncovering deep ethical and methodological aspects of this activity.