Practice Parameter for psychodynamic psychotherapy with children

Effectiveness of psychodynamic treatment: Comparing trajectories of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology of adolescents in treatment, healthy and physically ill adolescents

Effectiveness of psychodynamic therapy for adolescents in reducing internalizing and externalizing psychopathology was determined by comparing treated adolescents (86 sessions) with the normative developmental progression in two groups without treatment: healthy and diabetic adolescents. In a three-wave longitudinal study, n = 531 adolescents (n = 303 patients, n = 119 healthy, n = 109 diabetics) and their mothers filled out psychopathology questionnaires (Youth Self-Report and Child Behavior Checklist). Latent growth curve modeling and multilevel modeling were used to analyze and compare within-person symptoms changes across groups. Analyses showed a significant reduction over the course of treatment for internalizing (Cohen's d = .90-.92) and externalizing (d = .58-.72) symptoms, also when the developmental progression of both control groups was accounted for (d = .48-.76). Mothers reported lower levels than their children in internalizing symptoms (p ≤ .01) while this discrepancy increased over time for treated adolescents (p = .02). Results established the effectiveness of psychodynamic treatment for adolescents both with externalizing and internalizing symptoms in comparison with growth and change in nonclinical samples. Cross-informant differences and age-specific trajectories require attention in psychotherapy treatment and research.

Interaction Structures in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for Adolescents

Despite advances in psychotherapy research showing an evidence-base for psychodynamic psychotherapy (PDT) in adolescents, developmentally specific treatment characteristics are under-researched. We aimed to identify interaction structures (IS: reciprocal patterns of in-session interactions involving therapist interventions, patient behaviors, and the therapeutic relationship) and assess associations between IS and outcome. The study cohort comprised 43 adolescents (M_age = 13.02 years) with nonclinical, internalizing, and comorbid internalizing-externalizing problems in PDT. A total of 123 sessions from different treatment phases were rated based on the Adolescent Psychotherapy Q-Set (APQ). Outcome was assessed with the Brief Problem Monitor-Youth (BPM-Y) administered repeatedly over the treatment course. Principal component analysis of APQ items resulted in five IS, named "Negative Therapeutic Alliance", "Demanding Patient, Accommodating Therapist", "Emotionally Distant Resistant Patient", "Inexpressive Patient, Inviting Therapist", and "Exploratory Psychodynamic Technique" (EPT). Multilevel modeling analyses with Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) estimations indicated a two-way interaction effect between EPT and problem levels at baseline such that patients with lower problems at baseline showed good outcome in the context of EPT, whereas an inverse relationship was found for patients with higher problems. Findings provide empirical evidence for characteristic components of PDT for adolescents and preliminary answers about who benefits from psychodynamic techniques.

[Evaluation of Short-term Psychoanalytic Child Therapy (PaCT) for Young Children with Depressive Disorders: Results from a Pilot Study]

Depressive disorders in early childhood are associated with high psychosocial impairment and tend to remain stable over time without adequate treatment. Short-term psychoanalytic therapy is a common form of child psychotherapy, yet there is a lack of empirical evaluation of this approach for young children with depressive disorders. Therefore, this secondary evaluation of a study on the treatment of anxiety disorders used an uncontrolled pre-post design in a clinical setting to investigate whether children with depressive comorbidity would evidence significant diagnostic and symptomatic remission after treatment with manualized short-term Psychoanalytic Child Therapy (PaCT). Nineteen children who had an anxiety disorder and a (subclinical) depressive disorder (assessed with the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment using DSM-IV criteria) were treated with PaCT. After treatment, 15 of 19 children (78.94 %) were remitted and 15 of 17 children (88.24 %; 2 were lost to follow-up) were free of depressive disorders at the 6-month follow-up. Further analyses revealed significant effects for pre- to post and pre- to follow-up comparisons regarding internalizing symptoms and overall problems using parent- and (nursery-)teacher-ratings. These results suggest that short-term PaCT shows promise as a treatment for childhood depressive disorders.

Distinct trajectories of long-term symptom severity in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder during and after stepped-care treatment

BACKGROUND

First-line treatments for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) include exposure-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). No studies have thus far identified distinct classes and associated predictors of long-term symptom severity during and after treatment. Yet, these could form the basis for more personalized treatment in pediatric OCD.

METHOD

The study included 269 OCD patients aged 7-17 years from the Nordic Long-term OCD Treatment Study (NordLOTS). All participants received stepped-care treatment starting with 14 weekly sessions of manualized CBT. Nonresponders were randomized to either prolonged CBT or SSRIs. Symptom severity was assessed using the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale at seven time points from pre- to post-treatment and over a three-year follow-up. Latent class growth analysis (LCGA) was performed to identify latent classes of symptom severity trajectories. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to detect differences between classes and identify predictors of trajectory class membership including several clinical and demographic variables.

TRIAL REGISTRY

Nordic Long-term Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Treatment Study; www.controlled-trials.com; ISRCTN66385119.

RESULTS

Three LCGA classes were identified: (a) acute, sustained responders (54.6%); (b) slow, continued responders (23.4%); and (c) limited long-term responders (21.9%). Class membership was predicted by distinct baseline characteristics pertaining to age, symptom severity, contamination/cleaning and anxiety symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

The LCGA suggests three distinct trajectory classes of long-term symptom severity during and after treatment in pediatric OCD with different clinical profiles at pretreatment. The results point to required clinical attention for adolescent patients with contamination/cleaning and anxiety symptoms who do not show convincing responses to first-line treatment even though they may have reached the established cutoff for treatment response.

An Evaluation of a Multidisciplinary Pediatric Behavioral Health Medication Initiative Workgroup's Interventions on Medication Prescribing in a Population of Medicaid Patients

BACKGROUND

In response to concerns surrounding pediatric behavioral health medication prescribing, the Massachusetts Medicaid Pharmacy Program implemented a Pediatric Behavioral Health Medication Initiative (PBHMI), proactively requiring prior authorization for specific behavioral health medications and combination regimens. A multidisciplinary therapeutic class management (TCM) workgroup retrospectively reviews complex cases and conducts prescriber outreach to encourage evidence-based practices in Massachusetts.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate recommendation outcomes of telephonic peer-to-peer consultations conducted by the PBHMI TCM workgroup by assessing the percentage of accepted, modified accepted, or rejected recommendations, as well as prescriber satisfaction with consultation.

METHODS

This retrospective evaluation reviewed PBHMI TCM workgroup cases with completed peer-to-peer consultations from September 1, 2015, to August 28, 2016. The proportion of medication interventions (e.g., medication changes, dose reductions, and elimination of polypharmacy within or across behavioral health medication classes) accepted, modified accepted, or rejected were assessed based on pharmacy claims data and prior authorization resubmission, following a peer-to-peer consultation. The medication class and prescriber type were categorized in relation to the acceptance, modified acceptance, or rejection outcomes. Satisfaction with the TCM workgroup process was evaluated with an anonymous survey offered to prescribers who participated in prescriber outreach.

RESULTS

A total of 70 cases requiring a peer-to-peer consultation by a TCM workgroup child/adolescent psychiatrist had a completed outreach attempt during the evaluation period. Peer-to-peer consultations resulted in a recommendation acceptance rate of 31.4% (22/70), modified acceptance rate of 44.3% (31/70), and a rejection rate of 24.3% (17/70). Recommendations made during a peer-to-peer consultation were rejected by 30% (12/40) of child/adolescent psychiatrists compared with 16.7% (5/30) of nonchild/adolescent psychiatrists with completed peer-to-peer consultations (P = 0.43). Antipsychotics were most frequently recommended for regimen changes. All recommendations pertaining to a benzodiazepine were accepted by the prescriber. Results of an anonymous prescriber survey assessing satisfaction with the peer-to-peer consultation process exhibited variable responses among individual prescribers.

CONCLUSIONS

The small sample size in this observational evaluation and lack of a defined control group prevented direct associations between the endpoints and outcomes. Further research is required to determine if prescriber specialty and medication class may be influencing factors on recommendation acceptance.

DISCLOSURES

No outside funding supported this study. The authors have nothing to disclose. A poster of this project was presented at the AMCP Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy Annual Meeting 2017; March 27-30, 2017; in Denver, CO.

Beyond Googling: The Ethics of Using Patients' Electronic Footprints in Psychiatric Practice

Electronic communications are an increasingly important part of people's lives, and much information is accessible through such means. Anecdotal clinical reports indicate that mental health professionals are beginning to use information from their patients' electronic activities in treatment and that their data-gathering practices have gone far beyond simply searching for patients online. Both academic and private sector researchers are developing mental health applications to collect patient information for clinical purposes. Professional societies and commentators have provided minimal guidance, however, about best practices for obtaining or using information from electronic communications or other online activities. This article reviews the clinical and ethical issues regarding use of patients' electronic activities, primarily focusing on situations in which patients share information with clinicians voluntarily. We discuss the potential uses of mental health patients' electronic footprints for therapeutic purposes, and consider both the potential benefits and the drawbacks and risks. Whether clinicians decide to use such information in treating any particular patient-and if so, the nature and scope of its use-requires case-by-case analysis. But it is reasonable to assume that clinicians, depending on their circumstances and goals, will encounter circumstances in which patients' electronic activities will be relevant to, and useful in, treatment.

Participação dos Pais na Psicoterapia da Criança: Práticas dos Psicoterapeutas

Resumo A participação dos pais na psicoterapia de crianças é um tema controverso na literatura. Há autores a favor de uma abordagem mais intervencionista em relação aos pais e outros que circunscrevem seu papel à manutenção do tratamento e provimento de informações sobre a criança. O objetivo deste estudo exploratório, de levantamento, transversal, foi identificar experiências de psicoterapeutas de crianças brasileiros quanto às formas de inclusão dos pais no tratamento. Participaram 76 psicólogos, que responderam a um questionário on-line e as análises contemplaram estatística descritiva e análise de conteúdo. De acordo com os resultados, os respondentes foram predominantemente mulheres (89,5%), residentes na Região Sul (86,8%), entre 26 e 35 anos (53,9%) e com até três anos de experiência clínica (43,4%). De maneira geral, os participantes incluem os pais na psicoterapia (76,3%); em entrevistas específicas (90,8%); coleta de informações (88,2%), para aconselhamento/orientação (72,4%); e para fortalecer a aliança terapêutica (61,8%). Riscos e benefícios da participação dos pais foram reportados e constituíram seis categorias: a criança como sintoma dos conflitos familiares; resistência dos pais à psicoterapia e às mudanças; cumprimento do contrato pelos pais; aliança terapêutica; compreensão da dinâmica familiar e dos sintomas da criança; e fortalecimento dos vínculos pais-filhos. Conclui-se que há tendência de inclusão dos pais, por parte dos psicoterapeutas, no processo de psicoterapia de crianças.

Special population - child and adolescent psychotherapy

OBJECTIVES

First, to outline the paradigm change of the past 20 years that has transformed the theory and practice of child and adolescent psychodynamic psychotherapy; second, to update aspects of the current Practice Parameters for Psychodynamic Psychotherapy with Children to align with the paradigm change driven by the principles of regulation theory, relational trauma and repair, and the critical need for clinicians' self-care in trauma informed psychotherapy.

CONCLUSION

The emerging neuroscience-driven paradigm of psychotherapy poses challenges for the child and adolescent psychotherapist: to embrace the new conceptual reference points as organising principles leads to an urgent need to rethink traditional diagnostic formulations and time-honoured techniques for intervention. Our child patients and their families are entitled to benefit from the translation of the new research evidence from attachment regulation theory to clinical psychotherapy. Our clinical psychotherapy should sustain the 'best-interest-of-the-child' standards for well-being while also heeding Frances Tustin's warning for therapists to avoid the 'perpetuation of an error' by overlooking recent developments from allied fields in developmental psychology and the neurosciences.

Psychotherapy with a 3-Year-Old Child: The Role of Play in the Unfolding Process

Few studies have investigated the outcomes and process of psychodynamic psychotherapies with children. Among the limited number of studies, some only paid attention to play and verbal production, as they are fundamental aspects in assessing the psychotherapy process. This paper focuses on an empirical investigation of a 3-year, once-a-week psychodynamic psychotherapy carried out with a 3-year-old girl. A process-outcome design was implemented to evaluate play and verbal discourse in in the initial, middle, and final parts of 30 psychotherapy sessions. Repeated measurements of standardized play categories (the Play Category System and the Affect in Play Scale-Preschool version) and verbal discourse (Verbal Production) were analyzed. To increase the clinical validity of the study, data from the assessment phase and vignettes from the sessions were reported to deepen the patient's picture during the unfolding therapy process. Parent reports before and after the therapy were also included. Empirically measured changes in play and verbal production were fundamental in evaluating the young patient's psychotherapy process. Verbal production and discourse ability progressively increased and took the place of play, which instead became more symbolic. Developmental issues as well as psychotherapy's influence on the patient's change, were discussed in relation to the role of play in enhancing the development of verbal dialog and the expression of the child's emotions, needs, and desires.

Primary care management of depression in children and adolescents

Depression is the most common mental health disorder in children and adolescents, and primary care is often the first point of contact for children and adolescents with depression. Depression impacts all areas of life, impairing academics and interactions with family and friends. The purpose of this article is to help NPs identify and treat children and adolescents presenting with depression in the primary care setting.

Comorbid Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Analysis

BACKGROUND

A large and extensive body of research has examined comorbid anxiety and depression in adults. Children and adolescents also frequently present with comorbid anxiety and depression; however, research and treatment require unique environmental and neurodevelopmental considerations in children. As a result, our understanding of comorbid anxiety and depression in children and adolescents is limited.

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this systematic review was to examine the current literature focused on comorbid anxiety and depression in children and adolescents. The review included theoretical conceptualizations as well as diagnostic, neurobiological, prevention, and treatment considerations. In addition, a proposed algorithm for the treatment of comorbid anxiety and depression in children/adolescents is provided.

METHODS

This systematic literature review included 3 discrete searches in Ovid SP Medline, PsycInfo, and PubMed.

RESULTS

The review included and synthesized 115 articles published between 1987 and 2015. The available evidence suggests that anxiety and depression are common in clinical populations of children and adolescents, and that comorbidity is likely underestimated in children and adolescents. Children and adolescents with comorbid anxiety and depression have unique presentations, greater symptom severity, and treatment resistance compared with those who have either disease in isolation. A dimensional approach may be necessary for the future development of diagnostic strategies and treatments for this population. Nascent neuroimaging work suggests that anxiety and depression each represents a distinct neurobiological phenotype.

CONCLUSIONS

The literature that is currently available suggests that comorbid anxiety and depression is a common presentation in children and adolescents. This diagnostic picture underscores the importance of comprehensive dimensional assessments and multimodal evidence-based approaches given the high disease severity. Future research on the neurobiology and the treatment of these common clinical conditions is warranted.

[Obsessive-compulsive disorders in DSM-5 – what is new?]

Obsessive-compulsive disorders are a frequent and debilitating condition also in children and adolescents. The present paper summarizes the changes in the DSM diagnostic criteria between the IV-TR edition and the DSM-5 edition, and evaluates them critically. A central feature is the revision of the category to which these disorders belong: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders are no longer considered to be anxiety disorders, but rather now comprise an independent category encompassing a broader spectrum of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. Minor changes have been made to the description of the criteria, and there is a new emphasis on the clinical assessment of the patient's insight level (good, poor, absent). Obsessive-compulsive disorders associated with tic disorders are classified as a separate subtype. The present paper discusses these changes on the basis of the available studies and literature, and then looks ahead to the implementation of the new criteria in the everyday clinical setting and in research.