title: Psychotherapy for Personality Disorders in a Natural Setting: A Pilot Study over Two Years of Treatment.
abstract: Long-term assessment of the effects of psychotherapy for personality disorders (PDs) in a natural environment is an important task. Such research contributes to enlarge the practice-based evidence, embedded in broad collaborations between clinicians and researchers in psychotherapy for PDs. The present pilot study used rigorous assessment procedures and incorporated feedback loops of outcome information to the therapists in demonstrating the effects of psychotherapy for PD in a natural setting. The number of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), criteria for any PD was the primary outcome (along with psychological distress, depression, impulsiveness, and quality of life as secondary measures), assessed at intake, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of psychotherapy for N = 13 patients with PD. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Results demonstrated a large pre-post effect (d = 2.22) for the observer-rated measure (primary outcome), and small to medium effects for the secondary outcomes; these results were corroborated by a steady decrease of symptoms over all five time points, which was significant for several outcomes. These results add a piece to the literature by demonstrating the effects of long-term psychotherapy for PDs in increasingly diverse contexts and suggest that practice-oriented research can be carried out in a collaborative and systematic manner.
authors: *General Psychiatry Service and †Institute of Psychotherapy, Department of Psychiatry-CHUV, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; and ‡Department of Psychology, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
authors: Stéphane
authors: S
authors: Kolly
authors: Ueli
authors: U
authors: Kramer
authors: Pauline
authors: P
authors: Maillard
authors: Patrick
authors: P
authors: Charbon
authors: Jessica
authors: J
authors: Droz
authors: Emmanuelle
authors: E
authors: Frésard
authors: Sylvie
authors: S
authors: Berney
authors: Jean-Nicolas
authors: JN
authors: Despland
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult