The psychotherapeutic approach to emotional problems.

Physicians are confronted with more and more psychological problems in their daily practice. Not only must a physician be able to recognize the problems, he must also be prepared to treat a certain number of them. Some of the patients will improve just because of a good relationship with the physician. Others will require more definitive, yet comparatively simple, psychotherapy. On the other hand, some patients with clear-cut emotional problems are best treated by the physician's traditional medical approach rather than by some type of "formal" psychotherapy. In some circumstances psychotherapeutic efforts may be damaging.