Handbook of Relational Diagnosis and Dysfunctional Family Patterns

Couples and family therapists have long known that intrapersonal difficulties are played out in, and exacerbated by, problems in interpersonal relationships. Despite the clinical importance of identifying and treating dysfunctional relationship patterns, traditional classification schemes - like the DSM-IV and ICD - have long neglected the relational component of mental health. In this study, family clinicians and researchers present a clinically-based typology of relational disorders. They examine the role of diagnosis in couples and family therapy, and offer clinical criteria for diagnosing a broad spectrum of relational disorders and dysfunctional relational patterns.