A Suicidal Adolescent: The Rocky Path from Physical Pain to Psychological Awareness

ABSTRACT

This article tracks detailed process material – extracted from an especially disturbing three-week period during a four-year analysis – of a suicidal adolescent. The analyst-in-training’s exploration of therapeutic action to make meaningful contact with her patient is demonstrated. In particular, how her patient moves from a state of disorganization to thoughtful self-reflection and the use of concurrent work with parents are highlighted.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescence
• parent work
• adolescent suicide
• affect-regulation
• psychosomatic reaction

Acknowledgments

I want to thank Jack Novick for his invaluable insights, tireless encouragement and support during our many weekly discussions of this case and Kerry Kelly Novick and Claudia Lament for their contributions as editors of this article

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jacqueline Langley

Jacqueline Langley, Ph.D. is a psychologist, child and adolescent psychoanalyst, an advanced candidate in adult psychoanalysis, faculty member of the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute and Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute, program cochair, and supervisor for advanced therapists in training