Optimizing psychotherapy dosage for comorbid depression and personality disorders (PsyDos): a pragmatic randomized factorial trial using schema therapy and short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy.

Background: Patients with comorbid depression and personality disorders suffer from a heavy disease burden while tailored treatment options are limited, accounting for a high psychological and economic burden. Little is known about the effect of treatment dosage and type of psychotherapy for this specific co-morbid patient population, in terms of treatment-effect and cost-effectiveness. This study aims to compare treatment outcome of 25 versus 50 individual therapy sessions in a year.

Which patients benefit specifically from short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP) for depression? Study protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data.

Introduction: Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP) is an empirically supported treatment that is often used to treat depression. However, it is largely unclear if certain subgroups of depressed patients can benefit specifically from this treatment method. We describe the protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data (IPD) aimed at identifying predictors and moderators of STPP for depression efficacy.

Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapies for common mental disorders.

Background: Since the mid-1970s, short-term psychodynamic psychotherapies (STPP) for a broad range of psychological and somatic disorders have been developed and studied. Early published meta-analyses of STPP, using different methods and samples, have yielded conflicting results, although some meta-analyses have consistently supported an empirical basis for STPP. This is an update of a review that was last updated in 2006.

The current state of the empirical evidence for psychoanalysis: a meta-analytic approach.

Learning Objectives: After participating in this educational activity, the reader should be better able to evaluate the empirical evidence for pre/post changes in psychoanalysis patients with complex mental disorders, and assess the limitations of the meta-analysis.

Background: The effectiveness of psychoanalysis is still a controversial issue, despite increasing research efforts.

Objective: To investigate the empirical evidence for psychoanalysis by means of a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis of the research data.

Designs for studying the effectiveness of long-term psychoanalytic treatments: balancing level of evidence and acceptability to patients.

Long-Term Psychoanalytic Treatments (LTPT) include both long-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy (LTPP) and psychoanalysis (PsAn). Current opinion seems to be that there is some evidence for the effectiveness of LTPP, but none for that of PsAn. This may be due in part to researchers not balancing the level of evidence of randomized controlled studies (RCTs), cohort studies, and pre-post studies with patients' acceptance of these various research designs used in studying the effectiveness of LTPT.

The efficacy of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy for depression: a meta-analysis.

Objectives: It remains largely unclear, firstly whether short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP) is an effective treatment for depression, and secondly, which study, participant, or intervention characteristics may moderate treatment effects. The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of STPP for depression and to identify treatment moderators.

Results: After a thorough literature search, 23 studies totaling 1365 subjects were included.

The effectiveness of long-term psychoanalytic therapy: a systematic review of empirical studies.

Background: There is a gap in the research literature on the effectiveness of long-term psychoanalytic therapies (LPT).

Aim: To present a systematic review of studies dealing with LPT effectiveness and published from 1970 onward.

Methods: A systematic literature search for studies dealing with the effectiveness of individual LPT in ambulatory, adult patients.

Costs and benefits of long-term psychoanalytic therapy: changes in health care use and work impairment.

Objective: systematic review regarding the effectiveness of long-term psychoanalytic therapy (LPT) on health care use and work impairment in adult outpatients.

Method: a systematic search for studies published between 1970 and 2005. Calculation of the weighted mean changes between pretreatment and treatment termination, and between pretreatment and follow-up.

Short psychodynamic supportive psychotherapy, antidepressants, and their combination in the treatment of major depression: a mega-analysis based on three randomized clinical trials.

The efficacy of Short Psychodynamic Supportive Psychotherapy (SPSP) has not yet been compared with pharmacotherapy. A mega-analysis based on three original Randomized Clinical Trials (RCTs) was performed. Patients with (mild to moderate) major depressive disorder were randomized in (24 weeks) SPSP (n = 97), pharmacotherapy (n = 45), or their combination (n = 171).

Relative efficacy of psychotherapy and combined therapy in the treatment of depression: a meta-analysis.

Background: Reviews of the relative efficacy of psychotherapy and combined therapy (psychotherapy with pharmacotherapy) for depression have yielded contradicting conclusions. This may be explained by the clinical heterogeneity of the studies reviewed.

Aims: To conduct a meta-analysis with an acceptable level of homogeneity in order to investigate the relative efficacy of psychotherapy and combined therapy in the acute treatment of depression.

Efficacy of pharmacotherapy in depressed patients with and without personality disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: During the past decades personality pathology was considered to have a negative influence on the outcome of pharmacotherapy of depressive disorders. Recently, there has been a shift towards a less negative opinion. Still, the evidence in the literature remains inconclusive.