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. 2020 May 20:11:384.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00384. eCollection 2020.

Effectiveness of Open-Ended Psychotherapy Under Clinically Representative Conditions

Magnus Nordmo  1 , Nils Martin Sønderland  1 , Odd E Havik  2 , Dag-Erik Eilertsen  1 , Jon T Monsen  1 , Ole Andre Solbakken  1
Affiliations

Effectiveness of Open-Ended Psychotherapy Under Clinically Representative Conditions

Magnus Nordmo et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Objective: This study investigates the effectiveness of open-ended psychotherapy in a large, naturalistic, and diverse patient cohort using rigorous and multifaceted assessments.

Method: Patients (N = 370) in open-ended psychotherapy completed an extensive set of self-report measures and diagnostic interviews, including long-term follow-up in order to assess stability of outcomes. About half of the patients qualified for a personality disorder at the onset of treatment. Treatments were open-ended, and on average therapists provided substantially larger treatment doses than common in the literature.

Results: A substantial majority recovered from their respective Axis I (58%) and/or Axis II (55%) disorders during treatment. Patients also experienced large positive changes in self-report measures of overall psychiatric symptoms and moderate positive changes in self-reported interpersonal problems, while very few (< 3%) demonstrated negative development. The patients maintained their diagnostic and self-assessed changes at a two-and-a-half-year follow-up. In contrast, self-reported occupational functioning showed minimal improvement throughout the treatment and follow-up phase.

Conclusion: A naturalistic patient cohort undergoing open-ended psychotherapy demonstrates substantial and stable improvements.

Keywords: effectiveness; naturalistic; outcome; psychotherapy; representative.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Patient attrition.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Treatment length.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Alluvial diagram of changes in diagnostic and occupational status.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Odds ratios comparison to pretreatment.
Figure 5
Figure 5
GSI and IIP Global predicted score distributions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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