This article presents a reflection on clinical work with psychosis in the field of the mental health through transference and through what Lacan called the analyst’s desire. The article presents excerpts from two case studies seen in a mental health care institution, the Clarice Lispector Mental Health Center, at the Nise da Silveira Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. From the analysis of the two cases presented, a discussion ensues about clinical work with psychosis in an institutional context and about the role played by the psychoanalyst in that clinic.
Clinical work with psychosis; transference; analyst’s desire; institution