Inpatient group psychotherapy in Chinese patients

Inpatient group psychotherapy in acute psychiatric units has been a much maligned treatment modality with doubts cast upon its therapeutic value. However, local Chinese patients value and benefit from its inclusion in the therapeutic package after some adjustments to its structure and content.

Groups of 8 inpatients met weekly with a regular therapist and co-therapist. Feedback forms were filled by consenting patients at the end of each session to rate the value of each treatment modality in the ward package and to ascertain if therapeutic factors had been achieved.

All were voluntary patients on an acute psychiatric ward based in a general hospital, who had consented to attend group therapy and were able to sit through a 45-minute session. Excluded were those with dementia, organic brain syndrome or those who were too disturbed. Thirty-nine patients completed the questionnaire legibly.

In order of preference, patients rated individual attention from doctors first, followed by medication, relaxation therapy, then group therapy. Among the therapeutic factors, the ones achieved most were acceptance, altruism and self-awareness. Patients wanted instruction and advice on mental health. Twenty-eight of thirty-nine patients wanted to continue attending group therapy.

In this study, group therapy ranked 4th in the therapy package on an inpatient unit. Patients were able to experience some therapeutic factors but they valued factors which were different from those described in Western literature. Increased educational input from therapists was the preferred agenda.