Other News Long-term psychotherapy works
By Jimmy Downs
Oct 2, 2008 - 10:18:23 PM
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Thursday October 2, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new
analysis published in the Oct 1, 2008 issue of JAMA indicated that
psychodynamic psychotherapy for at least a year is effective and superior to
shorter-term therapy for patients with complex mental disorders such as
personality and chronic mental disorders.
But the review study also found that short-term
psychodynamic psychotherapy is insufficient for a considerable proportion of
patients with complex mental disorders, i.e., patients with multiple or chronic
mental disorders or personality disorders.
The so called long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy
(LTPP) emphasized more supportive interventions from the therapist depending on
the patient's needs.
The meta-analysis led by Falk Leichsenring, D.Sc., of the
University of Giessen, Germany, and Sven Rabung, Ph.D., of the University Medical
Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Hamburg, Germany was meant to compare LTPP with
shorter psychotherapeutic treatments for complex mental disorders, including
personality disorders, chronic mental disorders (defined as lasting at least a
year) and multiple mental disorders.
The researchers identified and included 23 studies in
their analysis, 11 randomized controlled trials and 12 observational studies,
with a total of 1,053 patients treated with LTPP.
They found "LTPP was significantly superior to
shorter-term methods of psychotherapy with regard to overall outcome, target
problems, and personality functioning. Long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy
yielded large and stable effect sizes in the treatment of patients with
personality disorders, multiple mental disorders, and chronic mental disorders.
The effect sizes for overall outcome increased significantly between end of
therapy and follow-up."
In short, LTPP patients with complex mental disorders on
average were better off after treatment with LTPP compared to another group
without receiving the therapy, the researchers found.