Psychotherapy Works Best Over the Long Term

Study finds real benefit to continued treatment, but insurance companies often balk at cost

By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter

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TUESDAY, Sept. 30 (HealthDay News) -- People with complex mental disorders or personality disorders would benefit from long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy that lasts at least a year or longer, according to new research.

Published in the Oct. 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the German study found that compared to the more commonly used short-term therapy, long-term psychotherapy left people better off. In fact, the number of therapy sessions the patients had was directly correlated to improvements in symptoms.

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"Long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy was significantly superior to shorter forms of psychotherapy applied in the control groups. This was true with regard to overall effectiveness, target problems, and personality functioning," said the study's lead author, Falk Leichsenring, a professor of psychotherapy research in the department of psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy at the University of Giessen in Germany.

"With regard to overall effectiveness, on average, patients with complex mental disorders were better off after treatment with long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy than 96 percent of the patients in the comparison groups. Thus, this meta-analysis provides evidence that long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy is an effective treatment for complex mental disorders," said Leichsenring.

"This study provides a great value for doctors and for patients, and one would hope could have an influence on policy decisions," added Dr. Charles Goodstein, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine and Langone Medical Center in New York City.

Complex mental disorders include problems such as depression or anxiety that continue for long periods of time. Psychodynamic therapy, according to Leichsenring, is therapy that puts the focus on the therapist-patient relationship and the importance of developing that relationship. Leichsenring said this is a key difference between this type of therapy and some of the shorter-term options, such as cognitive behavioral therapy.

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