The Peculiar Prosperity of Psychoanalysis in Socialist Yugoslavia

The Peculiar Prosperity of Psychoanalysis in Socialist Yugoslavia by Mat Savelli This article traces the history of psychoanalytically-oriented mental health care in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Like many other places in Central and Eastern Europe, psychoanalysis in post-war Yugoslavia faced a host of barriers to its long term survival. Rather than retreating or dying out, psychoanalytic ideas came to greatly influence Yugoslav psychiatry, both by informing treatment modalities and by providing a theoretical framework for understanding mental illness. The article outlines exactly how this transformation came to pass by documenting the threats posed to psychoanalysis and then analysing how these challenges were overcome.