| Rivista | La Rivista di Psicoanalisi |
| Fascicolo | The Italian Psychoanalytic Annual 2025/19 |
| Titolo | «When the body speaks». The contribution of the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual (PDM-3) to the psychodynamic assessment of eating disorders in adults |
| Autore | Laura Muzi |
| Editore | Raffaello Cortina Editore |
| Formato |
 Articolo |
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| Pagine | |
| Lingua | inglese |
| Online da | 10-2026 |
This article aims to illustrate the main innovations introduced in the new edition of the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual (PDM-3), with a specific focus on its diagnostic approach in adulthood and in patients with feeding and eating disorders. In line with the Manual’s intent to represent a “taxonomy of people” rather than of disorders, the author exemplifies these contents through the clinical case of Viola, a patient diagnosed with binge-eating disorder. The PDM-3-based discussion of the clinical case highlights the relevance of assessing the level of personality organization, personality styles, and mental functioning (with particular attention to the domain of bodily experiences and representations), allowing the clinician to move beyond a symptom-oriented perspective toward the patient’s specific, unique, and idiographic subjective experience.
Key words: Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual, psychoanalytic diagnosis, personality, defence mechanisms, bodily experience, feeding and eating disorders.
Laura Muzi è professoressa associata di psicologia clinica presso l’Università degli Studi di Perugia. È membro dell’International Society for Psychotherapy Research (SPR) e dell’American Psychological Association.
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