Psychoanalyse via Internet

[Psychoanalysts Online: Media regulation and digital boundary crossings]

Objectives: The present explorative study evaluates the question of media regulation in treatment and the question of psychoanalysts' experiences with digital crossings of boundaries. Methods: Using a self-constructed questionnaire, N = 50 completed questionnaires were distributed to psychoanalysts (age: M = 48,64, SD = 12,71; m = 44 %, f = 56 %) at the 51st IPA Congress held in July 2019 that were analyzed using aMann-Whitney U-test and Chi square test. Results: The majority of the psychoanalysts surveyed 68 %, (n = 34) do not regularly discuss the use ofmedia with their patients at the beginning of treatment, 28%(n = 14) of the analysts surveyed contacted their patients using digital media services without discussing this possibility of contact beforehand, 16 % (n = 8) contacted their patients at night, 46 %, n = 23 googled their patients and 24 %, (n = 12) secretly used a mobile phone during analysis. Conclusions: Due to the advancing technology of the health care system, further psychoanalytic research that accompanies the process of using media in treatment is necessary.

Einfluss akzeptanzfördernder Interventionen auf die Nutzung einer Online-Selbsthilfe

Hintergrund

Trotz wachsender empirischer Evidenz zur Wirksamkeit in der Behandlung psychischer Erkrankungen sind internetbasierte Interventionen (IBI) mit geringen Akzeptanz- und hohen Abbruchraten konfrontiert. Akzeptanzfördernde Interventionen (AFI) stellen eine vielversprechende Maßnahme dar, um die Akzeptanz zukünftiger Nutzer*innen zu verbessern. Die Wirksamkeit von AFI auf die Adhärenz, die maßgeblichen Einfluss auf die Wirksamkeit von IBI hat, wurde bisher in nur wenigen empirischen Untersuchungen überprüft.

Ziel der Arbeit (Fragestellung)

Ziel der vorliegenden Untersuchung ist die Überprüfung des Einflusses einer AFI auf die Akzeptanz, die initiale Nutzung und die Adhärenz des transdiagnostischen psychodynamischen Online-Selbsthilfeprogramms „Die Kraft der eigenen Emotionen nutzen (KEN-Online)“.

Material und Methoden

Es wurden Routinedaten von 231 Patient*innen ausgewertet, die während ihrer (teil‑)stationären Behandlung im Rahmen einer ins Routinesetting integrierten AFI das Angebot bekommen haben, KEN-Online behandlungsbegleitend zu nutzen. Im Kohortendesign werden Patient*innen, die an einer AFI teilgenommen haben, mit einer historischen Kontrollgruppe von Patient*innen verglichen, die dieses Angebot nicht erhielten. Zudem wird der Zusammenhang zwischen der Einstellung und der Akzeptanz des Programms in der Untersuchungsgruppe (mit AFI) überprüft.

Ergebnisse

Sowohl die Akzeptanz als auch die initiale Nutzung von KEN-Online waren um knapp 20 % höher (jeweils p < 0,01) unter den Teilnehmenden der AFI-Gruppe, verglichen mit der Kontrollgruppe. In Bezug auf die Adhärenz von KEN-Online zeigte sich ein kleiner Unterschied dahingehend, dass Teilnehmende der Kontrollgruppe signifikant (p < 0,05) mehr Einheiten abgeschlossen haben als Teilnehmende der Interventionsgruppe. Allerdings war der Anteil der „completer“ von KEN-Online mit 13,4 % insgesamt sehr gering. Ein Einfluss der Einstellung auf die Akzeptanz wurde nicht nachgewiesen.

Diskussion

Die vorliegende Untersuchung zeigt, dass AFI dazu beitragen können, die Akzeptanz und initiale Nutzung von IBI zu fördern, indem Patient*innen der (teil‑)stationären Routineversorgung standardisiert und strukturiert über die Intervention informiert werden. Hinsichtlich der Förderung der Adhärenz sind jedoch zusätzliche Maßnahmen erforderlich.

[Video-based treatment in psychodynamic psychotherapy in times of the COVID-19 pandemic]

BACKGROUND

In the course of the pandemic triggered by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), video-based treatment (VBT) has undergone a trend reversal. It must be assumed that the abrupt switch from traditional psychotherapy to the video setting (VS) has an impact on the therapeutic relationship and thus on the therapeutic process. This study examined how the switch from traditional treatment to VBT (and back again) during the COVID-19 pandemic was experienced by patients and therapists with respect to the therapeutic relationship and the therapeutic process.

METHODS

Group-specific, semi-structured interviews with therapists (n = 8), therapists in training (n = 6), and patients (n = 9).

RESULTS

The results show that the majority of participants, both therapists as well as patients, experienced the therapeutic situation in VS as more permeable and less predictable. Although the VS contributes to maintenance of the therapeutic situation, the interaction was described as shallow and less oriented. Furthermore, every setting change was associated with a process of habituation. Therefore, the therapeutic work can only be carried out with the highest possible intensity after several sessions within each setting.

CONCLUSION

The possibility of maintaining the therapeutic relationship using VBT can lead to a strengthening of the therapeutic alliance. Although the VS is associated with uncertainties, shame-ridden topics can be addressed more freely. Anxiety patients, in particular, could engage in a more intense therapeutic process after a universally observed phase of habituation.

Evidence on Technology-Based Psychological Interventions in Diagnosed Depression: Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Evidence on technology-based psychological interventions (TBIs) for the treatment of depression is rapidly growing and covers a broad scope of research. Despite extensive research in this field, guideline recommendations are still limited to the general effectiveness of TBIs.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to structure evidence on TBIs by considering different application areas (eg, TBIs for acute treatment and their implementation in health care, such as stand-alone interventions) and treatment characteristics (eg, therapeutic rationale of TBIs) to provide a comprehensive evidence base and to identify research gaps in TBIs for diagnosed depression. Moreover, the reporting of negative events in the included studies is investigated in this review to enable subsequent safety assessment of the TBIs.

METHODS

Randomized controlled trials on adults diagnosed with unipolar depression receiving any kind of psychotherapeutic treatment, which was at least partly delivered by a technical medium, were eligible for inclusion in our preregistered systematic review. We searched for trials in CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials; until August 2020), MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PSYNDEX, CINAHL; until the end of January 2018), clinical trial registers, and sources of gray literature (until the end of January 2019). Study selection and data extraction were conducted by 2 review authors independently.

RESULTS

Database searches resulted in 15,546 records, of which 241 publications were included, representing 83 completed studies and 60 studies awaiting classification (ie, preregistered studies, study protocols). Almost all completed studies (78/83, 94%) addressed the acute treatment phase, being largely either implemented as stand-alone interventions (66/83, 80%) or blended treatment approaches (12/83, 14%). Studies on TBIs for aftercare (4/83, 5%) and for bridging waiting periods (1/83, 1%) were scarce. Most TBI study arms (n=107) were guided (59/107, 55.1%), delivered via the internet (80/107, 74.8%), and based on cognitive behavioral treatment approaches (88/107, 79.4%). Almost all studies (77/83, 93%) reported information on negative events, considering dropouts from treatment as a negative event. However, reports on negative events were heterogeneous and largely unsystematic.

CONCLUSIONS

Research has given little attention to studies evaluating TBIs for aftercare and for bridging waiting periods in people with depression, even though TBIs are seen as highly promising in these application areas; thus, high quality studies are urgently needed. In addition, the variety of therapeutic rationales on TBIs has barely been represented by identified studies hindering the consideration of patient preferences when planning treatment. Finally, future studies should use specific guidelines to systematically assess and report negative events.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) CRD42016050413; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42016050413.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

RR2-10.1136/bmjopen-2018-028042.

[Online psychotherapy in times of the corona pandemic]

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of mental illnesses in the population has enormously increased during the corona pandemic due to the accompanying burdens and distress. Therefore, it is important to continue with the provision of psychotherapeutic treatment even in times of social distancing. As a result, psychotherapists were soon confronted with the need to expand their traditional treatment setting and offer remote treatment.

OBJECTIVE

Which digital treatment options are available to psychotherapists since the pandemic, also with respect to the legal regulations? To what extent and how did they use video-based or telephone-based psychotherapy? What is the current stage of research regarding the effectiveness of video(telephony)? How can therapeutic alliance be built into video(telephony) settings? How can psychotherapists successfully apply their personal therapeutic method to different patient groups (children, adolescents, adults) in the new digital setting?

METHODS

These questions are answered based on a literature search and clinical considerations.

RESULTS

The majority of psychotherapists have immediately adapted to remote treatment. This has been supported by the government by expanding existing regulations in order to continue treatment with current and new patients without physical contact during the pandemic crisis. Survey studies have shown that psychotherapists consider the effectiveness of digital treatment settings to be lower than the traditional setting.

CONCLUSION

Further training is necessary to educate psychotherapists in the theory, practice and self-awareness for quality assurance in the video(telephony) setting.

The Digital Phenotyping Project: A Psychoanalytical and Network Theory Perspective

A new method of observation is currently emerging in psychiatry, based on data collection and behavioral profiling of smartphone users. Numerical phenotyping is a paradigmatic example. This behavioral investigation method uses computerized measurement tools in order to collect characteristics of different psychiatric disorders. First, it is necessary to contextualize the emergence of these new methods and to question their promises and expectations. The international mental health research framework invites us to reflect on methodological issues and to draw conclusions from certain impasses related to the clinical complexity of this field. From this contextualization, the investigation method relating to digital phenotyping can be questioned in order to identify some of its potentials. These new methods are also an opportunity to test psychoanalysis. It is then necessary to identify the elements of fruitful analysis that clinical experience and research in psychoanalysis have been able to deploy regarding the challenges of digital technology. An analysis of this theme’s literature shows that psychoanalysis facilitates a reflection on the psychological effects related to digital methods. It also shows how it can profit from the research potential offered by new technical tools, considering the progress that has been made over the past 50 years. This cross-fertilization of the potentials and limitations of digital methods in mental health intervention in the context of theoretical issues at the international level invites us to take a resolutely non-reductionist position. In the field of research, psychoanalysis offers a specific perspective that can well be articulated to an epistemology of networks. Rather than aiming at a numerical phenotyping of patients according to the geneticists’ model, the case formulation method appears to be a serious prerequisite to give a limited and specific place to the integration of smartphones in clinical investigation.

Ethical Issues in Online Psychotherapy: A Narrative Review

BACKGROUND

The provision of psychotherapy over distance using technology is a growing market reaching many patients and therefore the risks and benefits need to be known by all psychotherapists whether they themselves practice online or not. This comprehensive review of the main ethical arguments for and against different forms of online psychotherapy aims to enhance discussion of ethical issues in this growing area.

METHODS

A search of three databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science) was conducted in August 2019 using a specific search protocol yielding 249 publications.

RESULTS

Of 24 ethical arguments in favor of online psychotherapy and 32 against, the top five ethical arguments in favor of online psychotherapy were (1) increased access to psychotherapy and service availability and flexibility; (2) therapy benefits and enhanced communication; (3) advantages related to specific client characteristics (e.g. remote location); (4) convenience, satisfaction, acceptance, and increased demand; and (5) economic advantages. The top five ethical arguments against engagement in online psychotherapy were (1) privacy, confidentiality, and security issues; (2) therapist competence and need for special training; (3) communication issues specific to technology; (4) research gaps; and (5) emergency issues.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings may be of help to practitioners in deciding whether to engage in online psychotherapy, and in informing patients about risks and benefits, improving ethical guidelines, and stimulating further ethical discussion. The findings are argumentative and qualitative in nature, and further quantitative research is needed.