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Overview & Synopsis

In September 1945, Anna Terruwe opened a private psychiatric practice in Nijmegen. She soon came into conflict with church authorities over the moral accountability of Catholics suffering from mental health issues. The dispute centred around the competencies of psychiatrists versus priests. In this book, Monteiro examines Terruwe's role in this fundamental conflict within post-war Dutch mental health care. In the 1970s, Terruwe reinvented herself as the discoverer of frustration neurosis, a condition rooted in affective deficits stemming from early childhood. She became a phenomenon, attracting prominent supporters as well as thousands of listeners, readers, and clients. Monteiro delves into Terruwe’s personal life and professional career, with a focus on gender, religion, and professional authority. This book analyses sources that Terruwe deliberately excluded from her personal archive. These documents shed light on Terruwe's relationship with her mentor and collaborator Willem Duynstee, their shared bond with Jesus Christ, and her ambition to position herself as a Catholic psychiatrist in an increasingly secular society.