Hyman Spotnitz, M.D., Med.Sc.D.

Hyman Spotnitz is a research psychiatrist and neurologist engaged in private practice in New York City. A native of Boston and graduate of Harvard College, Dr. Spotnitz received his medical degree in 1934 from Freidrich Wilhelms University in Berlin and the degree of Medical Science (in neurology) from Physicians and Surgeons College, Columbia University, in 1939. He was certified in psychiatry and neurology in 1941 by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology . Before beginning clinical practice, he conducted research in both neurophysiology at the New York State Neurological Institute and psychiatry at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. He has held the appointment of Adjunct Psychiatrist at Mount Sinai Hospital and the Hospital for Joint Diseases. He has also served as Consultant Psychiatrist to the Jewish Board of Guardians.

Dr. Spotnitz is Honorary President of numerous institutes and psychoanalytic centers. He is Honarary Chairman of several boards and Honorary Advisor to associations.

Hyman Spotnitz's main focus has been on the treatment of schizophrenia and preverbal disorders. He is the author of over 100 articles published in professional journals. His books include Modern Psychoanalysis of the Schizophrenic Patient (1969/1985), Psychotherapy of Preoedipal Conditions (1976), and with Phyllis W. Meadow, Ph.D., Treatment of Narcisstic Neuroses (1976/1995). As one of the pioneers in group psychotherapy, he wrote The Couch and the Circle (1961), intended for both the professional and lay public. General audience books include How To Be Happy Though Pregnant (1969), and The Wandering Husband (1964), written with Lucy Freeman. Dr. Spotnitz has also had a long and distinguished career as teacher and lecturer; he frequently conducts supervisory demonstrations, seminars and workshops for large audiences, numbering in the hundreds.

In May, 1988, Dr. Spotnitz received the Sigmund Freud Award from the American Society of Psychoanalytic Physicians for his contributions to psychoanalysis and psychiatry. He was made a Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The American Psychiatric Association also honored Dr. Spotnitz in January, 1991, for his 50 years of service to the Association and to the field of psychiatry.

This biography was taken from Just Say Everything: A Festschrift in Honor of Hyman Spotnitz, edited by Sara Sheftel, et al., published in 1991 by the Association for Modern Psychoanalysis, New York, New York.