Residential Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy, Part 2: Long-Term Follow-Up in the Treatment of Personality...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychotherapy Research
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) is effective for common mental disorders, including personality disorders.
• A residential adaptation (R-ISTDP) was developed in the Netherlands for treatment-resistant personality disorders.
• Long-term outcomes of R-ISTDP require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a 6-month residential ISTDP (R-ISTDP) program.
• To assess changes in symptom severity and general functioning immediately after treatment and 1-10 years post-discharge.
• To identify predictors of treatment outcome in patients with personality disorders.

Main Methods:

• A single-arm trial involving 155 patients admitted to R-ISTDP between 1995 and 2005.
• Assessment of symptom severity (SCL-90-R) and general functioning (GAF Scale) at admission, discharge, and 1-10 year follow-up.
• Mixed-models analysis used to evaluate outcome data due to variable follow-up durations.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements observed from admission to discharge in SCL-90-R (d=1.2) and GAF (d=0.9) scores.
• SCL-90-R scores remained stable, and GAF scores further improved (d=1.5) from discharge through 10-year follow-up.
• Increased return to work observed at long-term follow-up; no significant predictors of outcome identified.

Conclusions:

• R-ISTDP demonstrates substantial effectiveness for treatment-resistant personality disorders.
• Findings support the long-term stability of improvements achieved through R-ISTDP.
• The study highlights the potential of residential ISTDP for sustained recovery.