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Abstract

Psychodynamic considerations in the clinical approach to brain disease in the elderly have been poorly understood and significantly overlooked, although many opportunities for clinical intervention are based upon psychodynamic factors in these disorders. Psychodynamics has been defined as the “science of mental forces and motivations that influence human behaviour and mental activity. The role of unconscious motivation in the causation of human behaviour is emphasized” (Gelfand, 1980, p. 3350). With a brain-diseased older patient, psychodynamic concerns relate to the interaction with significant others, the manifestation of symptoms and the response to treatment.

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© 1989 Plenum Press, New York

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Cohen, G.D. (1989). Psychodynamic Perspectives in the Clinical Approach to Brain Disease in the Elderly. In: Conn, D.K., Grek, A., Sadavoy, J. (eds) Psychiatric Consequences of Brain Disease in the Elderly: A Focus on Management. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-1306-9_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-1306-9_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-1308-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-1306-9

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