La maladie de la mentalité de Lacan : un diagnostic original de l’ordinaire

Abstract

AimAssuming that Lacan goes beyond the father and his metaphoric malfunction in focusing on problems of the knot, we attempt to establish the possibilities of an original diagnostic: “la maladie de la mentalité.” MethodWe work through some possibilities of knotting, nomination, and suppléance of the three registers, and also through some methods that are less effective for the individual and her/his structure. This leads to a discussion of the similarities between Miller's “ordinary psychosis,” Hélène Deutsch's “as if” personality, and the “imaginary paraphrenia” created by Kreapelin. ResultsThe “maladie de la mentalité” is one of Lacan's originals diagnostics, given to Brigitte B. during a patient presentation in Sainte-Anne Hospital. The diagnostic is either original or ordinary if we consider Jacques-Alain Miller's development. DiscussionWe attempt comprehend what this diagnostic can provide, clinically speaking, while also seeking out what it shares with the psychoses (paranoia, melancholia, and schizophrenia) through an excessive Imaginary and an absent body. Between suppléance and compensation, what could Brigitte B. have done with her knot that would have allowed her to stay connected with the common reality even with her inconstant subjectivity? ConclusionWe conclude by recognizing some commons points with the classical psychoses but also some divergences.