Pierre Pichot et ses rapports avec la psychiatrie espagnole. Notes de sa présence au Pays basque espagnol, 1993–2006

Abstract

Not only is Pierre Pichot closely connected to the development of Spanish psychiatry in the second half of the 20th century, but is known for his ties with the most significant people in the Spanish academic world. As an expert in Spanish history, he maintains a close relationship with Hispanists in France, which makes him a reference in Spanish psychiatry. However, our intention is to highlight his uninterrupted presence from 1993 until 2006 to inaugurate the Psychiatric Convention in Vitoria on the latest psychiatric developments. At present this Congress is the longest – lasting gathering of experts in Psychiatry in Spain apart from the National Yearly Congress of Psychiatry. During these 15 inaugural conferences presented by Pichot, one can find a complete thought and reflection on the important questions and debates in Psychiatry. His book, Present Day Psychiatry, is a compendia of each one of his presentations. The studies found in this work do not shy away from the most controversial topics. Pierre Pichot's rigour of psychiatric thought is initially found in the 60s with the publication of Los Test Mentales. As has been previously pointed out, this text replaced the Pieron Tratado. Undoubtedly, Pichot is the one to whom today's psychologists and psychiatrists owe the advance of psychometry in dealing with mental pathology. In the best sense of the word Pichot was an eclectic, capable of dealing with topics of interest from a wide range of perspectives. Therefore, he reflected on psychotherapy and to need to avoid sectarianism in schools, which is so closely related to present day efforts to spread and insure psychotherapeutic trading for psychiatric professionals. This, in this article we will summarize some of the contributions Pichot carried out in his presentations while he attended the congresses in Vitoria for 15 years. The first contribution to be covered is the evolution of the concept of affective disorders. This is proof of how week he was familiar with the semiological evolution itself concerning this matter. In addition, the term, psychosis and its lack of clarity will be dealt with. This will provide the opportunity to later continue on with the history of severe psychotic disorder and the influence Pichot holds as a representative of the French school for the autonomous inclusion of severe psychotic disorder in DSM-III and above all in CIE-10. Pichot does not shy away from the debate on the medical discipline to which the treatment of Alzheimer's belongs. In his opinion the discovery of cerebral lesions from Alzheimer's is not a decisive argument to include Alzheimer's or any mental disorder in the field of neurology. Finally and beyond all that is the importance of Pichot as the one who introduced DSM-III in Europe, which definitely makes him worthy to form part of Psychiatry itself in Europe. Without a doubt, Pichot forms part of a line of psychiatrists who have changed everything, who defined what mental illness was as well as what a psychiatrist was. Together with the group from Washington University in Saint Louis, Pichot dealt with the question of diagnosis in a rational way, far from the unclear way of DSM-II. The contribution of all those men and women to modern Psychiatry is fundamental to the history of our specialization.