The influence of depressive symptoms on the effectiveness of a short-term group form of Schema Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for personality disorders: a naturalistic study

Group schema therapy for personality disorders: Systematic review, research agenda and treatment implications

OBJECTIVE

There are significant temporal and financial barriers for individuals with personality disorders (PD) receiving evidence-based psychological treatments. Emerging research indicates Group Schema Therapy (GST) may be an accessible, efficient, and cost-effective PD intervention, however, there has been no synthesis of the available evidence to date. This review therefore aimed to investigate the efficacy of GST for PDs by systematically synthesizing available literature.

METHOD

Five electronic databases were screened with resulting studies subjected to a specific eligibility criteria, which yielded fourteen relevant studies. Characteristics were extracted and methodological quality rigorously assessed.

RESULTS

Strong support was evidenced for GST's ability to reduce Cluster B and C symptomology, particularly for Borderline and Avoidant PD. GST appeared to improve global symptom severity, quality of life and functional capacity, as well as treatment targets such as schemas and modes.

CONCLUSION

Although not without limitations and a moderate risk of bias, the current body of evidence supports GST as a potential solution to current service deficits in economical and evidence-based care for individuals with PD. Implications for treatment and future research are discussed.

Exploring the effect of group schema therapy and comorbidity on the treatment course of personality disorders

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To provide an update of outcome studies of schema group therapy for personality disorders and the effect of comorbidity in order to explore whether schema group therapy might be effective for this patient group and what dosage is required.

RECENT FINDINGS

Studies of short-term schema group therapy for personality disorders with or without comorbidity show moderately effective results but the majority of patients fail to achieve full remission from global psychological symptom distress. Preliminary findings revealed that those unremitted patients might benefit from 40 to 60 sessions. Patients with severe personality disorders (such as borderline personality disorders) seem to need longer and/or more intensive treatment dosage to recover.

SUMMARY

We advocate short-term schema therapy in groups as a valuable first step in a stepped-care programme for patients with moderate personality disorders and comorbidity.Treatment extension or treatment intensification may be indicated in patients who do not recover. Patients with severe personality disorders seem to require long-term outpatient group treatment, with a combination of group and individual treatment being preferable. High-quality randomized controlled trials are needed in order to determine which treatment dosage is necessary for whom.

A Systematic Review of Scientific Studies on the Effects of Music in People with Personality Disorders

Personality Disorders (PDs) are psychiatric conditions involving maladaptive personality traits and behaviours. Previous research has shown that musical preferences and the use of music may be related to personality traits. Additionally, music therapy is increasingly being used as a treatment option for people with PDs. Using the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic literature search was undertaken using three databases: PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycInfo. The following search terms were used: PubMed: "personality disorder" AND (music OR "music therapy"); Web of Science (advanced search): TS = (personality disorder) AND TS = (music or "music therapy"); PsycInfo: "personality disorder" AND (music OR "music therapy"). A total of 24 studies were included in this review and summarised into four categories: music preference, music therapy, music performance, and music imagery, all in relation to PDs or traits associated with PDs. The analysis found that individuals with personality traits associated with PDs may prefer different types or genres of music or interact with music differently than those without these traits. Additionally, music therapy (MT) was found to offer a potentially useful treatment option for PDs. The power of these findings was limited by the small number of included studies. This review offers a useful foundation upon which further research looking at MT as a potential treatment option for PDs can be built.