In a naturalistic outcome study, the authors evaluated the results of a specific psychodynamically oriented trauma–focused inpatient treatment for women with complex posttraumatic stress disorder and concomitant borderline personality disorder, self–mutilating behavior, and depression. At admission, the frequency of self–mutilating behavior and the amount of inpatient treatment (an average of 68 days annually) of the sample was high, characterizing this patient group as “previously therapy resistant.” Treatment outcome was assessed both at the end of treatment and in a 1–year follow–up. In comparison with a treatment–as-usual control group, the treatment program brought about significant and stable improvements both in trauma–specific symptoms (e.g. dissociation, intrusion, avoidance) and in general psychiatric symptoms (e.g., general symptom distress, frequency of self–mutilating behavior, number of hospitalizations). The frequency of inpatient treatments (hospitalizations) decreased dramatically (< 10 days annually; effect size: d = 2.88). Author(s): Ulrich Sachsse, MD 1 | Christina Vogel, Dipl Psych 2 | Falk Leichsenring, DSc 3 1. Professor, University of Kassel and Psychiatric State Hospital of Lower Saxony Goettingen, Germany 2. clinical psychologist, Goettingen and Northeim, Germany 3. Professor, Psychotherapy at the University of Goettingen and Clinic of Tiefenbrunn, Goettingen, Germany Correspondence may be sent to Prof. Dr. Falk Leichsenring at Clinic of Tiefenbrunn and Clinic of Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Goettingen, von Sieboldstr. 5, D– 37075 Goettingen, Germany; e-mail: fleichs@gwgd.de. |
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