Research project Group therapy in psychiatric care for complex and long-term problems
In psychiatric care, there is a great need for new effective treatments for patients with complex and long-term problems, who have not been sufficiently helped by the treatments they have undergone so far. In this project, we are testing a short group treatment for this patient group: ISTDP-G (Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy - Group).
The goal of the treatment is to increase the patients' capacity to regulate anxiety and thus be able to break destructive patterns that perpetuate the problems. Currently, the group treatment is being tested in a pilot study at Northern Stockholm Psychiatry. The study started in 2023 and included 24 patients.
Project description
Currently, the project consists of a pilot study in which a short group treatment was used in adult psychiatry in the Northern Stockholm Psychiatry for patients with complex and long-term problems. These are patients with co-morbidity of several psychiatric diagnoses or permanent disability after several previous treatment attempts.
The patients often have chronic and severe anxiety problems and difficulties with impulsivity, such as self-harm behaviour. The patients have often had a long contact with psychiatric care and there is a strong desire among both patients and practitioners for new, specialised treatment options.
The treatment is called ISTDP-G (Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy – Group) and consists of 25 sessions of 90 minutes each at a frequency of once a week with room for 6 patients per group.
The goal of the treatment is to increase the patient's capacity to regulate anxiety and thereby create the conditions for breaking destructive patterns that the patient has developed to reduce/avoid internal stress and anxiety in the short term.
The aim of the pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility of the treatment and its acceptance by patients. The main questions were whether the majority of patients complete treatments, whether serious adverse events occurred and to what extent patients attended the group sessions. In addition, it examined the changes that occurred in patients in terms of emotion regulation, anxiety, depression, quality of life and other important aspects. The study involved 24 patients.
The group treatment is carried out by psychologists at Northern Stockholm Psychiatry. The first two groups started treatment in spring 2023. Positive results from this study would suggest that this group treatment for patients with complex psychiatric problems should be further explored in a randomised controlled trial.
Project members
Project managers
Björn Philips
Professor
Members
Ola Berge
Karin Lindqvist
Assistant Professor
Jakob Mechler
Researcher
