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Problem: Inpatient psychotherapy can offer positive treatment outcomes for people with complex personality pathology who do not benefit from outpatient treatment. Little is known about how the development of schema modes during treatment relates to long‐term development of symptoms, well‐being and schema modes. Method: This study employed a naturalistic, exploratory, within‐subject design with long‐term follow‐up (LFU) measurement 2–8 years after discharge. Course and correlation of symptoms, well‐being and schema modes were examined through multilevel analyses. Results: Best scores on symptoms, well‐being and schema modes were at LFU. The higher the baseline level and the greater the results achieved on schema modes during treatment, the more positive the course of symptoms and well‐being becomes during treatment and in the long term. Conclusion: This study shows that results achieved on symptoms, well‐being and schema modes during inpatient psychotherapy treatment persist and even continue to improve two to eight years after treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Praxis der Kinderpsychologie und Kinderpsychiatrie is the property of Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Psychotherapy may contribute to the experience of meaning in life. This study investigated meaning in life among patients with personality disorders during inpatient or day-hospital psychotherapy. Meaning in life was approached from two conceptual perspectives: personality functioning with an emphasis on self-direction and existential psychology. We investigated changes in the sense of meaning in life and accounted for changes in depressive symptoms and identity and interpersonal pathology. Using pre-post measures, Livesley's General Assessment of Personality Disorder, especially, the Lack-of-Meaning-Purpose-and-Direction subscale and Steger's Meaning-in-Life Presence subscale were administered to 75 patients with personality disorders during inpatient or day-hospital psychotherapy for 8-12 months. Regression models showed that levels of the lack and presence of meaning decreased and increased during treatment, respectively, controlled for changes in depressive symptoms. Decreased identity pathology was significantly associated with changes in the lack or presence of meaning. Meaning in life may act as an outcome variable in intensive psychotherapy for personality disorders. The development of identity and self-direction may restore or create the ability to give life meaning., (© 2025 The Author(s) Personality and Mental Health Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

BackgroundQuality of life (QoL) is substantially impaired in patients with anxiety disorders (AD) and depressive disorders (DD) and improvements in symptom burden after psychotherapy are not always paralleled by similar improvements in QoL. So far, little is known about treatment outcome in terms of QoL and predictors of QoL improvements following inpatient psychotherapy with a focus on cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). The current study aimed at investigating the relationship between changes in symptoms and QoL across different life domains. Additionally, predictors of a positive treatment outcome were evaluated.Methods122 patients with AD and/or DD undergoing an 8-weeks inpatient CBT program completed self-report measures of psychopathological symptoms and QoL at pre- and post-treatment. Mixed effects models were used to investigate changes, a confirmatory factor analysis was applied to analyze the latent factor structure of the anxiety sensitivity index and binary logistic regression analyses were performed for predictors of QoL improvements.ResultsPatients showed moderate to strong decreases in anxious and depressive symptoms and moderate to strong improvements in general QoL, particularly in the psychological and physical QoL subdomains. Changes in symptom burden correlated most strongly with psychological and physical QoL. In addition, poor QoL before treatment and low levels of specific anxiety sensitivity symptoms (items 1 and 5) significantly predicted improvement in QoL.ConclusionPatients with poor QoL who are not as inhibited to openly express their anxious feelings particularly benefit from inpatient psychotherapy (individual and group) to improve their QoL. In contrast, our research suggests that patients who are too anxious to openly express their nervousness should receive additional social skills training, more focused treatment to build sufficient self-confidence to better engage in the treatment program.

Objective: In Germany, multimodal psychosomatic inpatient treatment can be initiated for patients with substantial mental disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, somatoform disorders) and comorbid physical disease. However, studies investigating changes in psychological and functional treatment outcomes, and predictors of long-term treatment effects in patients undergoing psychosomatic inpatient treatment are needed. Methods: This cohort study analyzed 160 patients aged ≥18 who were treated on an integrated psychosomatic inpatient unit at the University of Göttingen Medical Center. Its aim was to analyze changes in psychological and functional outcomes, and to identify predictors of long-term improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with comorbid mental and physical illness who were undergoing integrated inpatient psychosomatic treatment. Assessments were completed at admission, discharge, and 12- or 24-month follow-up. Outcomes included physical complaints [Giessen Subjective Complaints List (GBB-24)], psychological symptoms [Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI)], and HRQoL [European Quality of Life Questionnaire (EQ-5D)]. Results: One-hundred sixty inpatients were included (mean age = 53.1 ± 12.6; 53.8% female). There were significant, medium- to large-sized improvements in psychological symptoms (BSI-Global Severity Index; d = −0.83, p < 0.001), physical symptom burden (d = −0.94, p < 0.001), and HRQoL (d = 0.65, p < 0.001) from admission to discharge, and significant, small- to medium-sized greater improvements in all psychological outcomes from admission to follow-up (BSI-GSI: d = −0.54, p < 0.001; GBB-24 total symptom burden: d = −0.39, p < 0.001; EQ-5D: d = 0.52, p < 0.001). Furthermore better improvement in HRQoL during hospitalization (partial η² = 0.386; p < 0.001) was associated with higher HRQoL at follow-up. Finally, intake of antidepressant at discharge was associated with impaired HRQoL at follow-up (η² = 0.053; p = 0.03). Conclusion: There were significant short- and long-term improvements in psychological symptoms, physical complaints, and HRQoL after treatment on an integrated psychosomatic inpatient unit in patients with mental disorders and a comorbid physical disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveIn Germany, multimodal psychosomatic inpatient treatment can be initiated for patients with substantial mental disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, somatoform disorders) and comorbid physical disease. However, studies investigating changes in psychological and functional treatment outcomes, and predictors of long-term treatment effects in patients undergoing psychosomatic inpatient treatment are needed.MethodsThis cohort study analyzed 160 patients aged ≥18 who were treated on an integrated psychosomatic inpatient unit at the University of Göttingen Medical Center. Its aim was to analyze changes in psychological and functional outcomes, and to identify predictors of long-term improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with comorbid mental and physical illness who were undergoing integrated inpatient psychosomatic treatment. Assessments were completed at admission, discharge, and 12- or 24-month follow-up. Outcomes included physical complaints [Giessen Subjective Complaints List (GBB-24)], psychological symptoms [Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI)], and HRQoL [European Quality of Life Questionnaire (EQ-5D)].ResultsOne-hundred sixty inpatients were included (mean age = 53.1 ± 12.6; 53.8% female). There were significant, medium- to large-sized improvements in psychological symptoms (BSI-Global Severity Index; d = −0.83, p < 0.001), physical symptom burden (d = −0.94, p < 0.001), and HRQoL (d = 0.65, p < 0.001) from admission to discharge, and significant, small- to medium-sized greater improvements in all psychological outcomes from admission to follow-up (BSI-GSI: d = −0.54, p < 0.001; GBB-24 total symptom burden: d = −0.39, p < 0.001; EQ-5D: d = 0.52, p < 0.001). Furthermore, better improvement in HRQoL during hospitalization (partial η2 = 0.386; p < 0.001) was associated with higher HRQoL at follow-up. Finally, intake of antidepressant at discharge was associated with impaired HRQoL at follow-up (η2 = 0.053; p = 0.03).ConclusionThere were significant short- and long-term improvements in psychological symptoms, physical complaints, and HRQoL after treatment on an integrated psychosomatic inpatient unit in patients with mental disorders and a comorbid physical disease.

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie is the property of Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie is the property of Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: A growing number of studies indicate that the Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) is effective in treating chronic depression. However, there is no systematic research into possible negative effects. Therefore, the objectives of the study were to investigate the rate of occurrence of negative effects of an inpatient CBASP program and their impact on treatment response.Methods: Patients with chronic depression and treatment resistance who completed the 12-week multimodal inpatient CBASP treatment program in an open trial (N = 52) retrospectively completed the Inventory for the Assessment of Negative Effects of Psychotherapy (INEP) during follow-up data collection. Severity of depressive symptoms was assessed self- and observer-rated at admission, discharge, and 6 months follow-up. Rates of occurrence of negative effects were calculated and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the relationship to treatment outcome.Results: The results indicate that 92.3% of patients reported having experienced at least one negative effect and 45.2% indicated dependence on their therapist. Stigmatization and financial concerns as well as intrapersonal changes were reported by about one-third. Only dependence on the therapist negatively impacted treatment outcome in both outcome measures.Conclusions: While almost all patients reported at least one negative effect of a multimodal inpatient CBASP treatment program, most of the reported negative effects appear to be benign. However, dependence on the therapist seems to have a negative impact on treatment outcome. If these results can be replicated in future large-scale, randomized controlled prospective studies, CBASP therapists should be aware of possible dependence and consciously address it during treatment.

Background: A growing number of studies indicate that the Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) is effective in treating chronic depression. However, there is no systematic research into possible negative effects. Therefore, the objectives of the study were to investigate the rate of occurrence of negative effects of an inpatient CBASP program and their impact on treatment response. Methods: Patients with chronic depression and treatment resistance who completed the 12-week multimodal inpatient CBASP treatment program in an open trial (N = 52) retrospectively completed the Inventory for the Assessment of Negative Effects of Psychotherapy (INEP) during follow-up data collection. Severity of depressive symptoms was assessed self- and observer-rated at admission, discharge, and 6 months follow-up. Rates of occurrence of negative effects were calculated and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the relationship to treatment outcome. Results: The results indicate that 92.3% of patients reported having experienced at least one negative effect and 45.2% indicated dependence on their therapist. Stigmatization and financial concerns as well as intrapersonal changes were reported by about one-third. Only dependence on the therapist negatively impacted treatment outcome in both outcome measures. Conclusions: While almost all patients reported at least one negative effect of a multimodal inpatient CBASP treatment program, most of the reported negative effects appear to be benign. However, dependence on the therapist seems to have a negative impact on treatment outcome. If these results can be replicated in future large-scale, randomized controlled prospective studies, CBASP therapists should be aware of possible dependence and consciously address it during treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) was originally developed for outpatients with persistent depressive disorder (PDD). We adapted CBASP as inpatient treatment on a general acute psychiatric ward and evaluated its outcome and feasibility. Sixty PDD patients received a 12-week multidisciplinary CBASP program. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD24) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) served as primary and secondary outcome measures. Childhood maltreatment at baseline and change in interpersonal distress from pre to post were investigated as predictors of treatment outcome. A 6-month follow-up assessment was conducted. Feasibility was assessed through dropouts and satisfaction with the program. Fifty patients completed the program (16.7% dropouts). An ANOVA with three repeated measurements (pre, post, FU) in the ITT sample revealed a main effect of time. For the primary outcome, depressive symptoms decreased from pre (28.3) to post (11.5, response rate: 72.7%, d = 1.8), and from pre to FU (13.9, d = 1.2). Four patients relapsed. The secondary outcome confirmed the results; however, the response rate was lower (BDI-II: 31.7%, pre to post: d = 0.8, pre to FU: d = 0.3), and ten patients relapsed at FU. Reduction in interpersonal distress, but not childhood maltreatment, predicted BDI-II response. Key limitations of this naturalistic open trial are the lack of a comparison group and non-blinded HAMD24 ratings. Inpatient CBASP for PDD appears feasible on a general acute psychiatric ward with effect sizes comparable to specialized psychotherapy wards and to the outpatient setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study aimed to investigate the effect of waiting for inpatient psychosomatic psychotherapy and the prediction of treatment outcome from the effect of waiting in depressed patients. It reports that findings imply that the prospect of inpatient psychotherapy may affect patients' depression severity. It mention the patients who benefit more from the prospect of treatment may also achieve higher therapeutic effects.

Background: The model of Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis and the model of Personality Organization influenced the concept of the Level of Personality Functioning (LPF) in DSM-V. The LPF is becoming a key variable for diagnostics, treatment and outcome measurement, but there are few studies which integrate the LPF in the study design. This study pursues to expand this body of knowledge by investigating the research question: would an inpatient psychotherapy lead to significant improvements in the LPF? Methods: The study included 156 inpatients at the Psychiatric Hospital Münsterlingen, Switzerland. Exclusion criteria were aggression, psychosis, mental retardation, and participation in another study. The LPF was measured with the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis—Structure Questionnaire (OPD-SQ) and the short version of the Inventory of Personality Organization (IPO-16) at admission and termination of treatment about eleven weeks later. A repeated-measures ANOVA controlled for age, symptom load, treatment duration and gender was conducted. Results: Data revealed significant, medium improvements for OPD-SQ (F(2,88) = 8.24, p <.01, η p 2 = 0.09) and IPO-16 (F(2,91) = 6.09, p <.05, η p 2 = 0.06) between admission and termination of psychotherapy and a different change pattern for OPD-SQ and IPO-16. Conclusion: Inpatient psychotherapy is associated with improvements in LPF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie is the property of Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Online self-help interventions have proven to be effective in treating various specific mental disorders, mainly depression and anxiety. Knowledge regarding their acceptance, efficacy, and usefulness in addition to inpatient or outpatient psychotherapy is limited. Therefore, we plan to evaluate an affect-focused, transdiagnostic, psychodynamic online self-help intervention following inpatient psychotherapy for mixed diagnoses in a feasibility study to determine acceptance, satisfaction, and preliminary estimates of efficacy. Methods: The intervention is based on the book “Living Like You Mean It” by Ronald J. Frederick (2009) and the Swedish adaption by Johansson and colleagues (2013). The book was translated into German and thoroughly revised using parts of the Swedish adaption and additional tasks from their intervention. In a pilot phase, corrections concerning comprehensibility of the content and exercises were made based on patient's feedback. In the second step, we developed a website presenting the German adaption in eight units. In the third step, at least N = 66 patients from the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy will be recruited for a feasibility study. Patients are randomized into two groups. The intervention group (IG) will receive ten weeks of access to the online self-help intervention together with weekly therapeutic feedback on their progress. The wait-list control group (WLC) will receive access to the intervention for ten weeks as well, but without therapeutic feedback and with a ten-week delay. We will conduct assessments at the beginning of the intervention of the IG (T0), the end of the intervention of the IG (T1), two months later (only IG, T2), and at the end of the intervention of the WLC (T3). The primary outcome is satisfaction with the treatment as measured by the ZUF-8 at T1 and T3 respectively. Secondary outcome measures include emotional competence, depression, anxiety, and quality of life. Conclusion: We expect insight into the usefulness and acceptance of an online self-help intervention used to maintain inpatient treatment effects. Furthermore, we await both groups to benefit from the participation in the intervention. Pre- post and between subject differences will be used as estimate effect sizes to calculate the necessary sample size for a larger efficacy trial.

Objective: Outcome predictors and determinants for treatment outcome of inpatient psychotherapy will be assessed in a follow-up-study. Sociodemographic factors and the level of depressiveness at admission, the perceived psychotherapist's empathy rated by patients and the therapy motivation as possible moderators of treatment outcome (reduction of depressive symptoms) are analyzed.Methods: In a cohort study, the outcome of inpatient multimodal psychotherapy was examined with Beck-Depression-Inventory (BDI) at admission (T1), discharge (T2) and at follow-up (1–3 years after treatment) (T3). Inclusion criteria were: Inpatient psychotherapy between 2007 and 2010 with a duration of at least 1 week and complete data set. The influence on therapy success of (1) sociodemographic factors, (2) the perceived psychotherapist's empathy rated by patients using the Consultation and Relational Empathy Measure (CARE), and (3) the therapy motivation of the patients rated by therapists are examined by means of correlation analysis, distribution comparisons and subsequently logistic regression.Results: Ninety-two (64 females, average age 39 yrs.) of 182 eligible patients participated in the follow-up survey. Duration of inpatient psychotherapy lasted 8.7 weeks ± 3.6 [min. 1, max. 33 weeks]. The perceived psychotherapist's empathy, therapy motivation, education level and depression at baseline had a significant impact on therapy success. Gender, age, and partnership were not significant. The length between discharge and follow-up had no influence on the results. Based on these variables a multiple logistic regression explained 42% of the variation (goodness-of-fit).Conclusion: Due to the shown relevance of the psychotherapist's empathy perceived by patients and the therapy motivation of patients for therapy success, both factors should be considered already at the beginning of the therapy. Consequently, they should be recognized in the context of postgraduate training and education.

Objective: The complex phenomenon of psychotherapy outcome requires further conceptual and methodological developments that facilitate clinically meaningful research findings. In this study, we rely on an idiosyncratic and process-oriented understanding of treatment effects in order to investigate long-term outcome. A conceptual model of long-term outcome is presented that comprises both a taxonomy of change and explanatory factors. Method: A mixed methods naturalistic study was conducted in an inpatient psychotherapy setting. Long-term quantitative outcome data are complemented with a data-driven thematic analysis of interviews with 22 participants, five to six years after ending inpatient psychotherapy. Results: Long-term outcome findings show improved well-being for the majority of former patients and this until five to six years after treatment. From the patients’ perspectives, long-term changes can be situated on different interrelated existential levels: reconnection to others and (the meaning of) life, a revelation, an altered self, life changes, and altered expectations and ideas about recovery and treatment. The complex interplay of the person, the therapy centre, the outside world and the evolution over time helped explain the experienced changes and individual differences. Conclusion: The findings support the value of an idiosyncratic and process-oriented understanding of outcome and recovery as well as substantiate the importance of multiple methods and perspectives when studying the effects of psychotherapy.

Background:While the general effectiveness of psychodynamic inpatient psychotherapy has been established, very few studies have specifically investigated the effectiveness of psychodynamic inpatient treatment of depression, though depressed patients represent the largest group of inpatients. Method :This study investigated two naturalistic samples of depressed patients regarding treatment outcome as well as clinical and treatment characteristics. Patients were treated in a psychoanalytical psychosomatic hospital unit. Data was collected from 2000 to 2002 (N=234) and from 2008 to 2010 (N=514). Data was acquired at admission and discharge. Results:The findings reveal high pre-post effect sizes for symptom reduction (SCL-90-R), general functioning (GAF) and medium changes of interpersonal problems (IIP). The improvement on the IIP was significantly higher for patients with comorbid personality disorder. Based on therapist ratings, the sample treated from 2008-2010 showed higher levels of impairment on several levels: chronic, complex, functional (GAF) and structural (OPD). Conclusion:Findings indicate that patients show substantial short-term benefit following psychoanalytic inpatient psychotherapy, as practiced under naturalistic conditions. Open questions remain regarding the long-term nature of these benefits and the possible influence of placebo-effects. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A medical hospitalization may precipitate or exacerbate psychiatric illness or uncover chemical dependency issues. The crisis of hospitalization can destabilize mood and make it difficult for individuals to access effective coping skills. Brief focused poetry therapy administered by a psychiatric nurse practitioner in the medical hospital blends approaches used by brief focused therapy, supportive therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and crisis intervention therapy using a poetry therapy framework. Characteristics of this type of therapy include limited time, prompt intervention, limited goals, tight focus and high therapist intervention. Typical goals include to define feelings, develop insight, accept limitations and to generate hope for the future. Journaling and writing assignments are often incorporated into therapy sessions. Case studies and suggested poems for therapeutic use are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives: Personality organization or functioning describes biographically acquired characteristics for the regulation of psychological processes. Limitations correlate with symptom load. This study examines whether significant improvement in personality functioning can be achieved in the framework of a multimodal psychodynamic treatment and its influence on the psychological symptoms. Methods: In this naturalistic study design (N = 318) personality organization was measured with the OPD-SQS and the symptoms were obtained using PHQ-9, GAD-7, SCL-9 and mini- Spin. Changes in the functioning levels were calculated using a t-test. The associations between the functional and symptom improvements were calculated using hierarchical regressionmodels. ANOVAs for dependent samples were used to calculate the association of the personality organization changes on symptom reduction Results: Treatment resulted in significant improvement in personality structure.The greater the changes, the lower the symptom burden at the end of treatment. Patients with lower personality structure benefited equally well from treatment. Conclusions: Personality functioning improves with multimodal psychodynamic therapy and is accompanied by reduction of psychological symptoms. Structural changes proceed equally in high and low structured patients.

Psychotherapies can be helpful in addressing the social disengagement that prevails in psychiatric inpatient settings. However, integration of psychological treatments into acute services is challenging. Behavioural activation is a well-established treatment with promising results from a variety of inpatient milieus. This article describes how behavioural activation can be adapted for and integrated into acute general psychiatric adult inpatient care. A case-report from a completed treatment study is presented to provide readers with detailed examples of how behavioural activation was integrated with other inpatient procedures. The treatment course is outlined and useful treatment material is made available. Common misunderstandings of behavioural activation with particular relevance to inpatient integration are addressed. We discuss the features that make behavioural activation particularly feasible for inpatient implementation, how integration with other interventions can be achieved, and integration challenges that remain to be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Reliable data to determine whether migrant patients benefit sufficiently from evidence-based mental health interventions are scarce. Our aim was to examine the effect of migration on the outcome of inpatient psychotherapy.Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study and predicted the course of the global severity index of the Symptom Checklist 90 during therapy based on data from our routine clinical practice (N=542). We used mixed models for our analysis and included relevant clinical characteristics.Results: One hundred and twenty-one patients of our sample had a history of migration which was consistently associated with more symptoms at baseline assessment. Patients with direct experiences of migration had the highest level of symptoms before therapy but also showed the largest decrease of symptoms during therapy (B=-0.09, SD=0.04, p=0.030). This interaction effect could be accounted for by our clinical variables. Patients with indirect experiences of migration did not differ from other patients in their level of improvement (B=-0.05, SD=0.04, p=0.149).Conclusion: According to our preliminary data, migration does not seem to negatively affect the outcome of inpatient psychotherapy. Limitations of these promising findings are discussed together with the strong need for more advanced studies in this area of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Psychotherapeut is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: Depressive disorders are among the most common psychiatric disorders. For severely depressed patients, day clinic and inpatient settings represent important treatment options. However, little is known about patients' perceptions of the different levels of care. This study aimed to obtain an in-depth analysis of depressive patients' experiences of day clinic and inpatient treatment in a combined clinical setting. Methods: Following a randomized controlled trial comparing day clinic and inpatient psychotherapy for depression (Dinger et al. in Psychother Psychosom 83:194-195, 2014), a sample of depressive patients (n = 35) was invited to participate in a semi-structured interview during an early follow up 4 weeks after discharge. A qualitative analysis of interview transcripts was performed following the principles of constructivist thematic analysis. Results: Following analysis, 1355 single codes were identified from which five main categories and 26 themes were derived for both groups. In regard to patient group integration and skill transfer to everyday life, distinct differences could be observed between the day clinic and inpatient group. Conclusion: While adjustment to therapeutic setting and patient group integration seem to be facilitated by inpatient treatment, the day clinical setting appears to promote treatment integration into patients' everyday contexts, aiding treatment-related skill transfer to everyday life as well as alleviating discharge from clinic treatment. Further studies on depressive subject groups in day clinic and inpatient treatment should investigate aspects of group cohesion and treatment integration in relation to therapeutic outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Case conference in a teamgroup in inpatient psychotherapy with children and adolescents are a tool to focus those aspects of treatment relations that can not (yet) be verbalized but present themselves in actions during the treatment. This paper gives a brief overview on the theory and methodology of case conferences and refers to an ongoing study. The presentation of a case conference leads to giving some general recommendations.

Background: Childhood maltreatment is associated with the development and maintenance of mental disorders. The purpose of this naturalistic study was (a) to identify different patterns of childhood maltreatment, (b) to examine how these patterns are linked to the severity of mental disorders and (c) whether they are predictive of treatment outcome. Methods: 742 adult patients of a university hospital for psychotherapy and psychosomatics were assessed at intake and discharge by standardized questionnaires assessing depression (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI) and general mental distress (Symptom Check List-90-R, SCL-90-R). Traumatic childhood experience (using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, CTQ) and ICD-10 diagnoses were assessed at intake. Results: The patients could be allocated to three different patterns of early childhood trauma experience: mild traumatization, multiple traumatization without sexual abuse and multiple traumatization with sexual abuse. The three patterns showed highly significant differences in BDI, General Severity Index (GSI) and in the number of comorbidity at intake. For both BDI and GSI a general decrease in depression and general mental distress from intake to discharge could be shown. The three patterns differed in BDI and GSI at intake and discharge, indicating lowest values for mild traumatization and highest values for multiple traumatization with sexual abuse. Patients with multiple traumatization with sexual abuse showed the least favourable outcome. Conclusion: The results provide evidence that the severity of childhood traumatization is linked to the severity of mental disorders and also to the treatment outcome in inpatient psychotherapy. In the study, three different patterns of childhood traumatization (mild traumatization, multiple traumatization without sexual abuse, multiple traumatization with sexual abuse) showed differences in the severity of mental disorder and in the course of treatment within the same therapy setting. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: To determine whether the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis (OPD) system can be useful in predicting patient outcome in the long term. Methods: OPD was assessed by the therapists prior to and after inpatient treatment. Patients completed psychometric scales at the start and completion of psychosomatic-psychotherapeutic inpatient treatment and at the follow-up. Outcome was defined by the general factor emerging from a principal component analysis of the Brief Symptom Inventory, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Inventory of Interpersonal Problems at katamnesis, representing individual differences in general distress. Results: Several dimensions of the OPD system proved to be predictors of general distress at the follow-up in 253 former inpatients. Negative predictors of long-term outcome were the high internal impediments to change, namely high secondary gains from illness and also less integrated structural abilities. Positive OPD predictors of long-term outcome were the treatment success achieved at the end of inpatient psychotherapy in changing the illness concept towards a psychological understanding of symptoms, lower levels of complaints and a higher functional level. Also the achieved level of awareness for the individual maladaptive behavioral pattern is predictive of a favorable long-term outcome. Conclusions: The results provide evidence for the clinical relevance and the predictive value of OPD. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]