Psychodrama group therapy for patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders--a controlled long-term follow-up...

Patients with gastric dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome at a primary health care centre were offered a special form of group psychotherapy once a week during a 3-month period. The therapy included psychodrama and relaxation training. Results were evaluated by means of self-administered questionnaires on symptoms and anxiety, comparing pretherapy levels with levels 6 months after the start of the therapy as well as 3 years later. In the studied treatment group--as well as in a control group selected in the same way but not undergoing the special treatment--the symptom levels decreased 3 months after therapy. In both groups, however, they tended to increase again after 3 years. Anxiety, on the other hand, decreased 6 months after the start of therapy in the specially treated group and no similar tendency was observed in the control group. In the treatment group subjects who reported immediately after treatment that they had learned 'a new behaviour' were more likely to report fewer symptoms of the irritable bowel syndrome 3 years later than other subjects.