[Follow-up of psychotic patients. 10 years after inpatient psychiatric-psychotherapeutic treatment]

Abstract

We report on a catamnestic study, based on the principles of process-oriented therapy-research, in which patients were interviewed in a semi open way 10 years after their hospital-treatment. Based on our findings we may establish that further developments of neurotic and psychotic patients can be influenced by the choice of therapeutic method, although in a different way. For both groups of patients the influence of conflict-centered, psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy can exert itself in a progressive way often only in a crisis, some time after the hospital-treatment. A qualifying condition for the choice of this therapeutic method in working with psychotic patients is the achievement of a sufficient ego-stability by the patient. Provided this has been respected, there is still a fundamental difference between the post-therapeutic crisis in neurotic and in psychotic patients: whereas for the neurotic it occurs in the process of working-through his internal conflict, for the psychotic patient it is caused by external influences. Some necessary conditions for the patient in mastering such a crisis in a progressive way are described.