[Psychotherapy and psychoanalysis in patient management: results of the Heidelberg Catamnesis Project]

Abstract

In the "Heidelberg Long Term Psychotherapy Follow-up Project", a naturalistic study design, all types of treatment were included that had been performed at the Psychosomatic Clinic of the University of Heidelberg for a certain period (combined inpatient and outpatient individual and group therapy, as well as outpatient dynamic psychotherapies and psychoanalyses). The specific value of this project is due to the fact that--apart from many other, for instance psychological, assessment evaluations--three to five individual therapy goals had been predetermined for each patient before starting the treatment (goal attainment scaling). After the end of therapy and at the time of follow-up (3.5 years later on the average), attainment of these goals was assessed by an independent rater. A total of 208 patients were examined who were evaluated according to their diagnosis (neurotic, functional or psychosomatic disorders) and the kind of treatment. With regard to symptomatology, individual therapy goals, psychological assessment and patient satisfaction, the overall results were good, partly very good, and were almost invariably stable during the long follow-up period. Two particular results are discussed separately: 1. As far as symptomatology was concerned, the group of psychoanalysis patients could not maintain the good outcome at the end of therapy during the long follow-up period. 2. Patients with "psychosomatic disorders" attained remarkably good results, particularly if the treatment had initially been an inpatient setting.