Behandlungsdiagnosen in universitären Ambulanzen für psychologische Psychotherapie im Jahr 2016

Originalbeiträge (Originals). Patientencharakteristika an einer psychodynamischen Ausund Weiterbildungsambulanz

Patient characteristics at a psychodynamic training institute Outpatient clinics affiliated with psychotherapeutic training institutions play a crucial role in ensuring the quality of future psychotherapists' training.

OBJECTIVE

In the present study we examined the characteristics of patients in terms of symptomatology and psychodynamic dimensions.

METHODS

The study utilized online questionnaires completed by n = 421 patients between September 2020 and March 2021. These questionnaires gathered information on sociodemographics, symptomatology (PHQ-D), relationship dynamics (IIP), personality functioning (OPD-SQS, IPO-16), and intrapsychic conflicts (OPD-KF).

RESULTS

The sample consisted of 71.0 % females, with 65 % having prior experience with psychotherapeutic treatments. Notably, 74.9 % of the patients fulfilled the criteria of a depressive disorder in PHQ-D (with 34.8 % identified as Major Depressive Disorder, MDD). Additionally, 53.1 % of all patients surpassed the threshold for the diagnosis of a personality disorder based on the IPO-16.

DISCUSSION

Findings suggest that patients seeking treatment at these clinics exhibit significant psychological distress and often have a history of prior psychotherapeutic interventions.

Patientencharakteristika an einer psychodynamischen Ausund Weiterbildungsambulanz

Outpatient clinics affiliated with psychotherapeutic training institutions play a crucial role in ensuring the quality of future psychotherapists' training.

OBJECTIVE

In the present study we examined the characteristics of patients in terms of sym\u0002ptomatology and psychodynamic dimensions.

METHODS

The study utilized online questionnaires completed by n = 421 patients between September 2020 and March 2021. These questionnaires gathered information on sociodemo\u0002graphics, symptomatology (PHQ-D), relationship dynamics (IIP), personality functioning (OPD-SQS, IPO-16), and intrapsychic conflicts (OPD-KF).

RESULTS

The sample consisted of 71.0 % females, with 65 % having prior experience with psy\u0002chotherapeutic treatments. Notably, 74.9 % of the patients fulfilled the criteria of a depressive disorder in PHQ-D (with 34.8 % identified as Major Depressive Disorder, MDD). Additional\u0002ly, 53.1 % of all patients surpassed the threshold for the diagnosis of a personality disorder based on the IPO-16.

DISCUSSION

Findings suggest that patients seeking treatment at these clinics exhibit signifi\u0002cant psychological distress and often have a history of prior psychotherapeutic interventions.

Prevalence of suicidal ideation in German psychotherapy outpatients: A large multicenter assessment

BACKGROUND

Suicidal ideation is a major concern in clinical practice. Yet, little is known about prevalence rates of suicidal ideation in patients undergoing outpatient psychotherapeutic treatment. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to assess the prevalence of suicidal ideation in a large sample of psychotherapy outpatients in Germany. The data analyzed in this study is taken from the KODAP-project on the coordination of data collection and analysis at German university-based research and training outpatient clinics for psychotherapy.

METHODS

A total of N = 10,357 adult outpatients (64.4 % female; age: M(SD) = 35.94 (13.54), range: 18-92 years of age) starting cognitive-behavioral therapy at one of 27 outpatient clinics in Germany were included in the current study. Prevalence of suicidal ideation was assessed with the Suicide Item (Item 9) of the Beck-Depression Inventory II.

RESULTS

Suicidal ideation was reported by 36.7 % (n = 3795) of the participants. Borderline Personality Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and recurrent Major Depression were the diagnoses most strongly associated with the presence and severity of suicidal ideation.

LIMITATION

Suicide ideation was assessed only with the respective item of the Beck Depression Inventory II.

CONCLUSION

Suicidal ideation is very common among adult patients who start psychotherapy in Germany. A well-founded knowledge of risk assessment in suicidal patients and suicide-specific treatment options is therefore highly relevant.

Climate change-related concerns in psychotherapy: therapists' experiences and views on addressing this topic in therapy

BACKGROUND

While adverse impacts of climate change on physical health are well-known, research on its effects on mental health is still scarce. Thus, it is unclear whether potential impacts have already reached treatment practice. Our study aimed to quantify psychotherapists' experiences with patients reporting climate change-related concerns and their views on dealing with this topic in psychotherapy.

METHODS

In a nationwide online survey, responses were collected from 573 psychotherapists from Germany. Therapists reported on the presence of such patients, their socio-demographic characteristics, and climate change-related reactions. Psychotherapists' views on dealing with this topic in psychotherapy were also assessed. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the responses.

RESULTS

About 72% (410/573) of psychotherapists indicated having had patients expressing concerns about climate change during treatment. Out of these therapists, 41% (166/410) stated that at least one patient sought treatment deliberately because of such concerns. Patients were mainly young adults with higher education. Most frequent primary diagnoses were depression, adjustment disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. Psychotherapists having encountered such patients differed from those without such encounters in their views on potential functional impairment and the necessity to target the concerns in treatment. Although 79% (326/415) of all respondents felt adequately prepared by their current therapeutic skills, 50% (209/414) reported a lack of information on how to deal with such concerns in therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Results indicate that psychotherapists are frequently confronted with climate change-related concerns and regard the mental health impact of climate change on their patients as meaningful to psychotherapeutic care. Regular care could be improved by a continuous refinement of the conceptualization and knowledge of the mental health influences of climate change. This would allow providing tailored methods of assessing and addressing climate change-related concerns in practice.

[Blended care: state of research and possibilities for implementation]

BACKGROUND

Psychotherapy is effective in treating mental disorders; however, not all patients benefit to the same extent and treatment gains are not always maintained. Blended care (BC) has the potential to improve psychotherapeutic care by combining traditional psychotherapy with online contents.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the potential of BC for psychotherapeutic care and investigate its implementation possibilities.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Presentation of the effectiveness of various BC modalities, attitudes of users and decision-makers, and discussion of recommendations for its implementation.

RESULTS

Indications for the effectiveness of BC in different modalities has been shown in several studies. Both therapists and patients prefer BC over a purely online intervention and want customizable contents; however, it remains unclear for which patients BC is a particularly suitable treatment option.

CONCLUSION

Various combinations of BC have the potential to be an effective and financially viable treatment option. Successful implementation requires better education about BC and the provision of the necessary infrastructure.

[APPS-Study 2020 - On outpatient psychotherapeutic care for people with psychotic disorders]

BACKGROUND

Although patients with psychotic disorders (PPS) are indicated for outpatient psychotherapy at any stage of their illness, they are rarely treated in this way. For this purpose, structural conditions, the experience of competence of therapists, as well as content-related aspects of training and further education of psychotherapists are analyzed.

METHODS

Based on a qualitative preliminary study, an online survey was conducted among 487 psychological psychotherapists.

RESULTS

Half of the respondents indicated a high willingness to treat PPS. In the acute phase of the disease only 20% are willing to do so. In the studies as well as in the theoretical part of the education and further education, there is hardly any preparation for a corresponding treatment. In contrast, practical experience in psychiatric clinics is considered very important. With regard to structural framework conditions, low hourly quotas and inflexible billing modalities are criticized. With regard to patients, in addition to sufficient motivation for treatment, low reliability, low cognitive ability, low insight into the illness, and frequent discontinuation of therapy are stated. Contrary to some prejudices, patients are characterized as "peaceful" in their interactions. The reduction of psychotic relapses, social integration and reduction of comorbid symptoms are mainly mentioned as achievable outcomes. The reduction of psychotic symptoms is rated less optimistically. Psychotherapists from psychiatric outpatient clinics (PIA) differ from other outpatient psychotherapists by better competence experience and correspondingly more frequent work with PPS, also in the acute stage.

DISCUSSION

Although every second therapist does not feel well trained, the willingness to treat PPS seems to be higher than the pure supply figures suggest. There is potential for optimization in education and training as well as in networking with other professional groups/relatives. This could be responsible for the fact that in the acute psychotic stage there are fears of contact and competence concerns. Psychotherapists in PIAs, where there is closer networking with other professional groups for structural reasons, experience corresponding deficits to a lesser extent. With regard to other structural barriers, the question arises as to whether these represent disorder-specific or rather general problems in psychotherapy.

[Online Therapy as an Add-on to Psychoanalysis? What Needs for Online Therapy Modules do Psychodynamic Psychotherapists in Private Practice Express for Their Outpatient Work?]

OBJECTIVE

In recent years, psychotherapists have been increasingly confronted with the challenge of meeting treatment needs efficiently with limited time resources and at the same time achieving stable treatment success in the long term. One way to address this is to integrate Internet-based interventions (IBI) into outpatient psychotherapy. While there is a lot of research on IBI based on cognitive-behavioral therapy, little is known about the same for psychodynamic treatment models. Therefore, the question will be answered as to what specific online modules would need to look like that psychodynamic psychotherapists would use in their outpatient practice to support their regular face-to-face therapies.

METHODS

In this study, 20 psychodynamic psychotherapists were asked about their requirements on the content of online modules that could be integrated into outpatient psychotherapy, using semi-structured interviews. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using Mayring's qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

Results showed that some psychodynamic psychotherapists already use exercises or materials which could be transferred into the online format. In addition, general requirements about online modules emerged, such as an easy handling or a playful character. At the same time, it became clear when and with what kind of patient groups online modules would be integrated into psychodynamic psychotherapy.

DISCUSSION

The interviewed psychodynamic psychotherapists considered it an attractive approach to offer online modules as a supplement to psychotherapy and in a broad spectrum of content. They gave practical advice for the design of possible modules, both on the level of general handling and regarding concrete contents, words, and ideas.

CONCLUSION

The results contributed to the development of online modules for use in routine care, the effectiveness of which will be investigated in a randomized controlled trial in Germany.

Zur Messqualität des Beck-Depressionsinventars (BDI-II) in unterschiedlichen klinischen Stichproben

Zusammenfassung. Theoretischer Hintergrund: Das BDI-II ist ein Selbstbeurteilungsinstrument zur Erfassung des Schweregrads einer Depression. Es liegen kaum Analysen mit Modellen aus der Item-Response-Theorie (IRT) vor. Fragestellung: Wie hoch ist die Messgenauigkeit des BDI-II über die unterschiedlichen Ausprägungen des latenten Traits (Depressivität) hinweg und sind die Kategorien der Items jeweils aufsteigend geordnet? Methode: Anhand von sechs großen Datensätzen aus verschiedenen klinischen Bereichen wurden psychometrische Analysen mit dem Graded Response Model durchgeführt. Ergebnisse: In allen Stichproben fand sich eine hohe interne Konsistenz. Die Schwellenwerte waren mit Ausnahme von Item 6 („Bestrafungsgefühle“) geordnet. Gemäß Testinformationsfunktion misst das BDI-II im mittleren bis hohen Depressionsbereich sehr gut (Reliabilität > .90) und im unteren Bereich gut. Schlussfolgerung: Für das BDI-II ergibt sich eine hohe und relativ gleichbleibende Messpräzision über einen weiten Bereich des latenten Traits, weshalb es insbesondere im klinischen, aber auch im nicht klinisch relevanten Wertebereich zur Erhebung des Schweregrades einer Depression gut geeignet ist.

Praxisorientierte Forschung in der Psychotherapie

Zusammenfassung. In den letzten Jahrzehnten hat sich durch randomisiert-kontrollierte Studien (RCTs) eine breite Evidenzbasis von Psychotherapie mit mittleren bis großen Effekten für verschiedene psychische Störungen gebildet. Neben der Bestimmung dieser Wirksamkeit („Efficacy“) ebneten Studien zur Wirksamkeit unter alltäglichen Routinebedingungen („Effectiveness“) historisch den Weg zur Entwicklung eines praxisorientierten Forschungsparadigmas. Im Beitrag wird argumentiert, dass im Rahmen dieses Paradigmas praxisbasierte Studien eine wertvolle Ergänzung zu RCTs darstellen, da sie existierende Probleme in der Psychotherapieforschung adressieren können. In der gegenwärtigen praxisorientierten Forschung liefern dabei neue Ansätze aus der personalisierten Medizin und Methoden aus der ‚Computational Psychiatry‘ wichtige Anhaltspunkte zur Optimierung von Effekten in der Psychotherapie. Im Kontext der Personalisierung werden bspw. klinische multivariable Prädiktionsmodelle entwickelt, welche durch Rückmeldeschleifen an Praktiker_innen kurzfristig ein evidenzbasiertes Outcome-Monitoring ermöglicht und langfristig das Praxis-Forschungsnetzwerk in Deutschland stärkt. Am Ende des Beitrags werden zukünftige Richtungen für die praxisorientierte Forschung im Sinne des ‘Precision Mental Health Care’ -Paradigmas abgeleitet und diskutiert.

The Cooperative Revolution Reaches Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy: An Example From Germany

Background

Psychology is at the beginning of a cooperative revolution. Traditionally, psychological research has been conducted by individual labs, limiting its scope in clinical samples and promoting replication problems. Large-scale collaborations create new opportunities for highly powered studies in this resource-intensive research area. To present the current state of a Germany-wide platform for coordinating research across university outpatient clinics for psychotherapy.

Method

Since 1999, over 50 such clinics were created in Germany. They represent a unique infrastructure for research, training, and clinical care. In 2013, a steering committee initiated a nationwide research platform for systematic coordination of research in these clinics (German abbreviation "KODAP"). Its main goal is to aggregate and analyze longitudinal treatment data - including patient, therapist, and treatment characteristics - across all participating clinics.

Results

An initial survey (100% response rate) yielded recommendations for improved integration of data collection. Pilot data from 4,504 adult (16 clinics) and 568 child and adolescent patients (7 clinics) proved feasibility of data transfer and aggregation despite different data formats. Affective, neurotic, stress, and somatoform (adults) and anxiety and behavioral (children and adolescents) disorders were most frequent; comorbidity was high. Overcoming legal, methodological, and technical challenges, a common core assessment battery was developed, and data collection started in 2018. To date, 42 clinics have joined.

Conclusions

KODAP shows that research collaboration across university outpatient clinics is feasible. Fulfilling the need for stronger cumulative and cooperative research in Clinical Psychology will contribute to better knowledge about mental health, a core challenge to modern societies.

Perspektiven einer evidenzbasierten und personalisierten Psychotherapie

Zusammenfassung. Theoretischer Hintergrund: Der Diskurs um eine evidenz-basierte und personalisierte (bzw. „Precision“) Medizin sowie zur Umsetzung von Evaluation und Qualitätssicherung hat in den letzten Jahren auch Einfluss auf die Psychotherapieforschung genommen. Dies gilt in Bezug auf die patientenspezifische Auswahl von Behandlungen (u. a. personalisierte Vorhersagen) als auch für die dynamische Anpassung von Interventionen im Therapieverlauf (adaptive Indikation, Feedback, Problemlösetools). Fragestellung und Methode: Im Bereich der differentiellen Indikation sind mittlerweile unterschiedliche Algorithmen („machine learning“) und Netzwerkmodelle zur Vorhersage erprobt worden. Für eine empirisch gestützte adaptive Indikation bilden insbesondere die Studien zum psychometrischen Feedback sowie die Entwicklung von Problemlösetools für Risikopatient_innen die Grundlage. Ergebnisse: Diese Grundlagenforschung war die Basis für die Entwicklung eines Entscheidungssystems (Trierer Therapie Navigator, TTN) zur Vorhersage der optimalen Behandlungsstrategie und des Abbruchrisikos. Darüber hinaus enthält der TTN ein adaptives Modellierungselement des Behandlungsverlaufs. Es können damit Risikopatienten für einen Behandlungsmisserfolg identifiziert und Behandlungsoptimierungen über Problemlösetools unterstützt werden. Schlussfolgerungen: In vorliegender Arbeit werden zentrale neue Ansätze einer evidenz-basierten und personalisierten Psychotherapie zusammenfassend dargestellt sowie die Anwendung in der klinischen Praxis diskutiert.

Forschungsnetzwerk KODAP

Zusammenfassung. Theoretischer Hintergrund: Die Anzahl universitärer psychotherapeutischer Ambulanzen für Kinder und Jugendliche an psychologischen Instituten ist in nur wenigen Jahren deutlich angestiegen. Diese erfreuliche Entwicklung ist potentiell für die Versorgung von Kindern und Jugendlichen mit psychischen Störungen, die praxisnahe Lehre im Psychologiestudium, die qualifizierte Psychotherapieausbildung und die klinisch-psychologische Forschung äußerst relevant. Der Wissensstand bezüglich Diagnostik, Ätiologie und psychotherapeutischer Behandlung von psychischen Störungen im Kindes- und Jugendalter steht für viele Störungsbilder deutlich hinter dem umfangreichen Forschungs- und Wissensstand psychischer Störungen des Erwachsenenalters. Vor diesem Hintergrund ist die Initiative, Daten der universitären Psychotherapieambulanzen für Kinder und Jugendliche zusammenzuführen, ein wesentlicher Schritt, um der Altersgruppe der Kinder und Jugendlichen gleich gut begründete und evaluierte Behandlungsansätze zukommen zu lassen. KODAP – die Koordination der Datenerhebung und -auswertung an Forschungs-‍, Lehr- und Ausbildungsambulanzen für psychologische Psychotherapie – übernimmt dabei die Koordination dieses komplexen Vorhabens sowohl für den Kinder- und Jugend- als auch den Erwachsenenbereich. Fragestellung / Methode: Es werden die soziodemographischen und klinischen Daten der im Jahr 2016 behandelten Patient_innen, deren Eltern und jeweiligen Therapeut_innen von sieben Ambulanzen beschrieben. Hierzu werden die deskriptiven Angaben zu Diagnosehäufigkeiten, Altersstruktur, Anzahl komorbider Störungen der Patient_innen und eine soziodemographische Beschreibung der Therapeut_innen und Eltern vorgestellt und diskutiert. Ergebnisse: Für das Jahr 2016 stehen Daten von 568 Kindern und Jugendlichen zwischen 3 und 20 Jahren ( Malter = 11.89, SD = 3.68; 46.6 % weiblich) zur Verfügung. Die häufigsten Diagnosen stellten die Angststörungen (F40, F41, F93) mit 317 Diagnosen (35.30 %), gefolgt von den hyperkinetischen Störungen und den Störungen des Sozialverhaltens (F90, F91, F92) mit 195 Diagnosen (21.71 %) dar. Bei 45.6 % der Patient_innen wurde mehr als eine Störungsdiagnose festgestellt. Des Weiteren lagen die Daten von 257 Müttern bzw. 228 Vätern und 126 Therapeut_innen, davon 83.1 % weiblich, vor. Schlussfolgerungen: Die Studie zeigt die Machbarkeit der Zusammenführung und Aufbereitung der Daten aus universitären Psychotherapieambulanzen für Kinder und Jugendliche. Zudem geben die Pilotdaten einen ersten Einblick in diese Inanspruchnahmepopulation.