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Article
Publication date: 3 November 2009

Anne Van den Berg and Karel Oei

Effective treatment of patients with severe psychopathy is very difficult to achieve. This conclusion may be drawn from an extensive examination into the usage of the term…

529

Abstract

Effective treatment of patients with severe psychopathy is very difficult to achieve. This conclusion may be drawn from an extensive examination into the usage of the term ‘psychopathy’ in scientific research literature, in theoretical development from various psychological schools of thought, in the practice of therapy and in assessment. The central issue for the authors of this article is the inability of severely psychopathic patients to commit to the patient‐therapist relationship. Attachment theory and mentalisation‐based treatment are used here to define the cause and nature of this inability, which is incurred in very early childhood. These two models can aid in the development of more dynamic definitions of psychopathy, better suited to dynamic therapy formats.The ways in which psychopathy is defined partly account for a number of problems encountered in the practice of therapy. The authors assume that the treatment of psychopathy should be interactional and should match patients' individual levels of psychological development and mentalisation; highly psychopathic patients often perceive others as objects, ie. as part of the context, not as subjects, ie. autonomous personalities.The authors propose to conduct further research in order to verify the validity of their hypothesis. They also put forward a number of suggestions for therapy formats with a view to establishing effective working relationships with psychopathic patients.

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Mental Health Review Journal, vol. 14 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-9322

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Article
Publication date: 1 September 2008

Erik Bulten, Annelies Vissers and Karel Oei

Mental health care in prisons involves many stakeholders. As a consequence, the goals involved are divergent but there is no sound theoretical framework that accounts for the…

221

Abstract

Mental health care in prisons involves many stakeholders. As a consequence, the goals involved are divergent but there is no sound theoretical framework that accounts for the complexity of care in prison. This paper considers a broad theory and its conceptual framework that differentiates between prisoners with emotional suffering and those without, the need for care from an objective point of view as opposed to a subjective one, and the need for care related to mental health problems versus care related to limiting recidivism.

Details

Mental Health Review Journal, vol. 13 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-9322

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