As Americans increasingly seek a “quick fix” to physical and mental ailments, psychoanalysts can be caught in the crossfire of a debate about the potential benefits and drawbacks of including medication in their treatment plans.

A panel discussion entitled “The Uses of Medications in Psychoanalysis: What We Know; What is Uncertain,” will be led by internationally renowned psychoanalyst Glen O. Gabbard, M.D., at the American Psychoanalytic Association’s 2008 Winter Meeting on Friday, January 18, 2008, from 2-5 p.m. at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York.

Taking the position for a cautious approach to the inclusion of medications in analysis will be Stephen D. Purcell, M.D. Adele Tutter, M.D., Ph.D., is more optimistic about the inclusion of medications in treatment. The panel discussion will be chaired by Richard M. Gottlieb, M.D., and the discussant will be Dr. Gabbard.

“Instead of perceiving the use of medications in competition with analysis, we should educate our patients about the potential costs and benefits of including medication in an analytic treatment. Then, patients can make informed decisions about their treatment options,” says Dr. Tutter. “While we analysts value insight and introspection, some patients don’t value these things and should be allowed to choose.”

“I’m not taking the position that combined treatments that include medication and analysis should not be done. Instead, I believe they must be considered very carefully,” says Dr. Purcell. “An analyst's decision to combine medication with a psychoanalysis is also a tacit communication that under some circumstances can be an interference to psychoanalytic processes of change.” The panel discussion is open to members of the media, mental health practitioners, students, and the public.