Letter to Psychiatrist: Dr. Singh 2/18/97

TO: Dr. Singh
FROM: Gary Freedman
DATE: February 18, 1997
RE: Technical Paper - Successful Outpatient Psychotherapy of Chronic Schizophrenia - Aaron T. Beck, M.D.
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Enclosed for your general information is a technical paper by Aaron Beck, M.D., first published in 1952, titled: "Successful Outpatient Psychotherapy of a Chronic Schizophrenic with a Delusion Based on Borrowed Guilt."

An interesting feature of the case is that the patient, who suffered from a fixed delusional system of longstanding duration, was successfully treated using once-a-week psychotherapy alone (without medication). I share with the reported patient all of the characteristics deemed indicators of a favorable therapeutic outcome (p. 93).

The paper raises questions about my failure to progress in nearly four years of (twice-per-week) psychotherapy at GW--with respect to the limitations and capacities of both me and the therapists to whom I was assigned.