[Anxiety patients before and after hospitalization for psychotherapy - from a psychophysiological standpoint]

Psychophysiological course studies are still the exception in AP hospitalized for psychotherapy. The aim of this study was to perform a more precise psychophysiological analysis of anxiety patients (AP) before and after hospital treatment. From a sample of 28 AP, 13 were psychophysiologically and psychodiagnostically examined and compared to controls (CG) at the beginning and end of in-patient psychotherapy and 4 months later. APs showed higher heart rate (HR) and electrodermal spontaneous fluctuation (SF) than control patients but did not differ in their resting systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Under cognitive stress, the controls had a significantly stronger HR and SBP reaction, while the AP showed more SF during the tone sequence and while being asked about their subjectively experienced anxiety. Following inpatient psychotherapy, the two groups showed correlation in their vegetative reaction patterns. The study clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of the applied depth psychology-oriented multimodal therapy from a psychophysiological standpoint.