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The Medication Life

Received April 18, 2001; revised June 17, 2001; accepted July 3, 2001. From the Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. Address correspondence to Dr. Powell, 3 Newsome Park, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130.

The therapist conducting psychodynamic psychotherapy often recommends medication for the patient, but the medication is frequently treated as separate from the therapy and not worth exploring. By not inviting the patient's and our own feelings about medication into the treatment dialogue, we may solicit the development of split transference, the loss of important unconscious material, and noncompliance. Much like a patient's dream life, the medication life is rich in detail that may be fruitfully used to gain information about the patient's experience, strengthen the alliance, and improve treatment outcome.

Key Words: Psychopharmacology • Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

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