Le cinéphile : réflexions sur le traitement d’un trouble de personnalité schizoïde

Abstract

While treatment of personality disorders in general is often described as difficult and filled with many obstacles, knowledge is still limited regarding the specific treatment challenges for DSM's Cluster A individuals. The purpose of this paper is to explore these challenges, as illustrated by the case study of a schizoid patient who underwent psychodynamic therapy for over a year. Deep and unconscious interpersonal fears that complicated treatment, and how these fears had to be taken into account in therapeutic interventions, will be explored. Strong countertransference reactions, especially those evoked by long silences and constant management of optimal therapeutic distance, will also be discussed. This paper also proposes some reflections on the limitations of DSM's conceptualization of the schizoid personality disorder, and how a dynamic understanding of relational fears and ambivalence in these patients may be crucial to treatment.