I agree with Dr Junig's points. The psychoanalytic movement was started by Freud based on his model of the mind which he introduced in 'The Interpretation of Dreams' along with interventions to address pathology. Figures such as Charcot (and I suspect Mesmer) had been influential in Freud's development of psychoanalysis. The psychoanalytic movement has been led by strong personalities who have given their own interpretations and developments of Freud's work. Figures such as Carl Jung, Erich Fromm, Donald Winnicott, Anna Freud and Melanie Klein have refined the theory in this way. The practice of psychoanalysis was initially restricted to psychiatrists although members of other professions have increasingly practised psychoanalysis. With the advent of antipsychotics and antidepressants the tide turned against psychoanalysis in favour of medication. The rise of other models of psychotherapy as well as the success of medication means that the influence of psychoanalysis has reduced in practice although it continues to offer an effective method of addressing a range of conditions with an increasing supporting evidence base.