Despite the important place it occupies in both Freudian and Lacanian nosology, obsessional neurosis has received far less attention than its erstwhile companion hysteria.

This book aims to elaborate and deepen research into questions of obsession, going beyond the usual clichés which reduce obsession to the question "Am I alive or dead?". Emphasis is given to the structure of this neurosis, as distinguished from its symptomatology, and to clinical questions of work with obsessional subjects. The chapters provide discussions of some of the following themes: the creation of the category of obsessional neurosis and of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the fate of desire and the inability to act in obsession, debt and guilt, obsessional manoeuvres and their implications for the treatment.

The book will be of interest to readers with academic or clinical backgrounds who wish to deepen their understanding of obsessional neurosis from a theoretical or clinical point of view. Newcomers to the subject will find signposts here that guide them through the complex landscape of obsession and lead them to avenues they may wish to pursue further.

Astrid Gessert is a psychoanalyst and a member of CFAR and of the College of Psychoanalysts-UK. She has worked for many years in the NHS, in private practice and as supervisor. She is a regular contributor to the CFAR public lecture and training programme and lectures and facilitates seminars at other psychoanalytic organisations.

Format: Paperback