Jack Drescher, MD, PC

11/18/2025

This is the latest Doctors in Dialogue on Substack from the Group for Advancement of Psychiatry (GAP).

In "The Public Face of Psychiatry," Gail Saltz and I reflect on three decades of bringing mental health conversations to mainstream audiences — and why it’s more important than ever.

Dr. Jack Drescher and Dr. Gail Saltz reflect on three decades of bringing mental health conversations to mainstream audiences — and why it’s more important than ever.

11/11/2025

I was recently interviewed by Rosario Coco, President of Gaynet, as part of a training course for Italian journalists entitled, “The Language of Trans Childhood and Adolescence within the New WHO Framework.”

The course was sponsored by Gaynet—an Italian organization that provides journalists with accurate information on LGBTQ issues—in collaboration with the Order of Journalists of Lazio (Ordine dei Giornalisti del Lazio), a government-mandated professional body for journalists in the Lazio region of Italy.

The interview, in Q&A form, was videotaped in Italian and is intended to assist journalists covering issues related to treating individuals with gender incongruence. A transcript of the English translation is in this Substack post.

https://jdrescher.substack.com/p/talking-trans-to-the-media

10/29/2025

My latest substack post is about the Neopolitan Femminielli; worth a read

The Neopolitan Third Gender

10/23/2025

The next International Psychoanalytical Association Journal Club featuring Ann D'Ercole, PhD will be on December 19.

The registration link is
https://tinyurl.com/2sh2umvm

The lost story of Clara Thompson: Love, “the kiss” and repair. Contemporary Psychoanalysis

Abstract
An important aspect of Clara Thompson’s pioneering work in psychoanalysis stems from her personal analysis with Sandor Ferenczi.

Her contributions, deeply rooted in her own experiences of emotional trauma and psychic pain, led to an innovative clinical perspective that emphasized empathy and mutuality.

This approach challenged traditional Freudian methods and laid the groundwork for the interpersonal/relational turn in psychoanalytic practice.

Thompson’s legacy continues to shape contemporary psychoanalytic thought, underscoring the significance of empathic connections and the influence of the analyst’s personality in therapy.

About the IPA JC
Registration, which is free of charge, is open to IPA members and candidates, other interested mental health professionals, scholars and academics. A downloadable copy of the paper is available to registrants.

The registration link is
https://tinyurl.com/2sh2umvm

After registering, a link to download the paper will be provided.

10/01/2025

“The Psychological Pull of Authoritarianism and Autocracy” is the latest blog post from the psychiatric think tank, Group for Advancement of Psychiatry (GAP). Worth a read.

Why do so many find comfort in authoritarian leaders? The psychology behind the pull, and how resilience can help us resist.

09/29/2025

This is my most recent post on Substack. Have a look and please subscribe

A Low Quality of Evidence Does Not Mean “Do Not Treat”

09/28/2025

The September 26, 2025, IPA Journal Club featuring Dionne Powell, MD, is now available for online viewing.

Reading:
Powell, D.R. (2018). Race, African Americans, and psychoanalysis: Collective silence in the therapeutic conversation. J. American Psychoanalytic Association, 66(6):1021-1049.

We are grateful to JAPA and SAGE publications for giving the IPA Journal Club permission to distribute a copy of the paper to our registrants.

Abstract
Both historically and currently, assaults on the black body and mind have been ubiquitous in American society, posing a counterargument to America as a postracial, color-blind society. Yet the collective silence of psychoanalysts on this societal reality limits our ability to explore, teach, and treat the effects, both interpersonal and intrapsychic, of race, racism, racialized trauma, and implicit bias and privilege. This silence, which challenges our relevance as a profession, must be explored in the context of America’s racialized identity as an outgrowth of slavery and institutional racism. Racial identifications that maintain whiteness as a construct privileged over otherness are an obstacle to conducting analytic work. Examples of work with racial tensions and biases illustrate its therapeutic potential. The challenge for us as clinicians is to acknowledge and explore our racial bias, ignorance, blind spots, and privilege, along with identifications with the oppressed and the oppressor, as contributors to our silence.

The paper can be downloaded at this link:
https://www.ipa.world/IPA/IPA_DOCS/PDFDocuments/powell-2019-race-african-americans-and-psychoanalysis-collective-silence-in-the-therapeutic-situation.pdf

The IPA Journal Club (JC) is a project of the IPA Communications Committee. It meets 6 times per academic year (September-June) on Fridays at 4 PM (16:00-17:...

09/27/2025

The misuse of the GRADE scale for political purposes has harmed many people.

The godfather of evidence-based medicine on rejecting anti-trans “misuse” of his work.

The godfather of evidence-based medicine on rejecting anti-trans "misuse" of his work.

09/25/2025

I had some thoughts about Robert Jay Lifton’s contributions in this obituary from Psychiatric News, the newspaper of the American Psychiatric Association

PsychiatryOnline.org is the platform for all American Psychiatric Association Publishing journals, DSM, and bestselling textbooks, as well as APA Practice Guidelines, and continuing medical education.

09/22/2025

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Father David on Friar Time, a series created by Franciscan friars. Worth a watch and worth sharing

Today on FRIAR TIME, we’re discussing an issue that’s political, medical, and extremely personal, as it’s about people trying to find peace in who they are. ...

09/12/2025

This is the latest Doctors in Dialogue post on Substack from the Group for Advancement of Psychiatry (GAP) featuring a conversation about Intensive Outpatient Treatment between Thomas Franklin, MD and Andrew Ge**er, MD. Worth a read.

A conversation with GAP members Dr. Thomas Franklin and Dr. Andrew Ge**er

08/18/2025

The IPA Journal Club’s next meeting, featuring Dionne Powell, MD, will be on Friday, September 26, 2025, at 4 p.m. London time, 11 a.m. US Eastern Time.

You can register here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/wqBpDA7DRCSOlPq7SO9GDA


Registration, which is free of charge, is open to IPA members and candidates, other interested mental health professionals, scholars and academics. A downloadable copy of the paper is available to registrants.

Ideally, all registrants will have read the paper beforehand and have an opportunity to ask questions or make comments to the guest author. At the registration site, you can also submit questions to the moderators to share with the author.


Reading:

Powell, D.R. (2018). Race, African Americans, and psychoanalysis: Collective silence in the therapeutic conversation. J. American Psychoanalytic Association, 66(6):1021-1049.



We are grateful to JAPA and SAGE publications for giving the IPA Journal Club permission to distribute a copy of the paper to our registrants.



You can register for the September IPA Journal Club by clicking here

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/wqBpDA7DRCSOlPq7SO9GDA

A link to download Dr. Powell’s paper is at the registration site


Abstract

Both historically and currently, assaults on the black body and mind have been ubiquitous in American society, posing a counterargument to America as a postracial, color-blind society. Yet the collective silence of psychoanalysts on this societal reality limits our ability to explore, teach, and treat the effects, both interpersonal and intrapsychic, of race, racism, racialized trauma, and implicit bias and privilege. This silence, which challenges our relevance as a profession, must be explored in the context of America’s racialized identity as an outgrowth of slavery and institutional racism. Racial identifications that maintain whiteness as a construct privileged over otherness are an obstacle to conducting analytic work. Examples of work with racial tensions and biases illustrate its therapeutic potential. The challenge for us as clinicians is to acknowledge and explore our racial bias, ignorance, blind spots, and privilege, along with identifications with the oppressed and the oppressor, as contributors to our silence.

Registration Link

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/wqBpDA7DRCSOlPq7SO9GDA