This seminar, delivered during the 1955-1956 academic year, delves into the complex subject of psychoses and their therapeutic approaches. Jacques Lacan, a renowned psychoanalyst, utilizes the detailed case of Daniel Paul Schreber, whose memoirs offer a unique first-person account of his mental illness, as a central point of examination. The work aims to elucidate the structural particularities of psychotic disorders through rigorous theoretical analysis and clinical case study.

This work is recognized as a significant contribution to psychoanalytic literature, offering Lacan's seminal insights into the nature of psychosis. Scholars and clinicians often cite Lacan's reinterpretation of the Schreber case as a pivotal moment in understanding psychotic structures. The seminar's dense theoretical content and unique clinical focus make it a foundational text for advanced study in psychoanalysis.