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Psychoanalytic approaches, although still extensively used by practitioners, have been marginalized in treatment guidelines partly because of limited efficacy research. In recent years, several manualized psychodynamic approaches have been developed that target specific problems or disorders, which can be referred to generally as problem-focused psychodynamic psychotherapies. These treatments offer modified psychodynamic techniques to address dynamics associated with particular disorders and can be used for systematic outcome studies. For example, one of these, panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy, has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of panic disorder. The manuals for these psychotherapies emphasize comprehensibility for training purposes and are more readily transportable to the public health sector. Extensive research will be needed to ascertain which psychotherapies are most effective for various patients and conditions over the short and long term.

Recent surveys suggest that collaborations between psychiatrists acting as medication consultants and therapists providing psychotherapy are an increasingly common form of treatment. Complex transference and countertransference reactions can arise in these "therapeutic triangles." Risks include splitting by the patient, conflicts between the two practitioners, and premature termination of either the psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy. The authors discuss typical transference and countertransference reactions that can lead to these problems and present case examples of productive and unproductive collaborative efforts. The authors describe a collaborative approach based on mutual respect, trust, and openness that, along with an awareness of typical transference and countertransference issues, can increase the likelihood of a positive treatment outcome.