[The Dusseldorf short-term dynamic psychotherapy project (DKZP)].

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychotherapy Research
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Time-limited psychodynamic therapies are established for neurotic disorders.
• The Cyclic Mal-adaptive Pattern (CMP) model, focusing on introjects, is central to psychogenic pathology.
• The suitability of the CMP/SASB model for psychosomatic and personality disorders requires investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a specific psychodynamic short-term therapy model (CMP/SASB) for patients with psychosomatic and personality disorders.
• To compare treatment outcomes for these groups against neurotic patients.
• To assess long-term treatment effects.

Main Methods:

• A naturalistic study (Duesseldorf Short-Term Psychotherapy Project) involving 36 therapists and 82 patients with personality, psychosomatic, or neurotic disorders.
• Treatment duration was 25 sessions.
• Outcome measures included impairment scores (BSS), Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), CMP, SCL-90-R, SASB, and Intrex, with follow-ups up to 5 years.

Main Results:

• High effect sizes were observed for the entire sample on BSS and GAF, with sustained improvement at follow-up.
• Psychosomatic patients showed the best outcomes, while personality disorder patients surprisingly benefited significantly compared to neurotic patients.
• Self-rating measures (SCL, Intrex) showed smaller effect sizes, potentially underestimating social function changes.

Conclusions:

• The CMP/SASB psychodynamic therapy model is effective for neurotic, psychosomatic, and personality disorders.
• The indication spectrum for this focal therapy can be expanded to include these more severe conditions.
• This approach offers a promising and well-founded treatment option for a broader range of psychogenic disorders.