Differences in effectiveness of intensive treatment programmes for neurotic and personality disorders. Is it worth monitoring effectiveness of a therapeutic team?

Aim. To test whether three different intensive programs of treatment for neurotic and personality disorders are effective in decreasing neurotic symptoms and traits of neurotic personality and whether there are differences between them in clinical outcome. Method. The sample consists of 105 patients (83% female, mean age 35) diagnosed with neurosis and personality disorders that were treated in three therapeutic wards under routine inpatient conditions. The therapeutic programs are designed for patients with neurotic and personality disorders. It consists of 6–12 weeks of approximately 5 hours of eclectic group treatment (group psychotherapy, psychodrama, psychoeducation etc.). Participants filled in Symptoms’ Questionnaire KS-II, and Neurotic Personality Questionnaire KON-2006 at the beginning and at the end of the course of psychotherapy. Results. The treatment proved to be effective in diminishing neurotic symptoms (d Cohen=0.56). More detailed analysis revealed that there was a significant interaction between the three analyzed therapeutic wards and the effectiveness (η2=0.09). The treatments offered in two institutions were effective (d Cohen=0.80) while one of the programs did not lead to significant improvement of the patients. None of the therapeutic wards proved to be effective in changing the neurotic personality traits. Conclusions. There are significant differences in effectiveness of the intensive programs of treatment for neurotic and personality disorders. In the light of the literature, one can assume that the differences are more connected with the characteristics of therapeutic teams than with the methods used. The need for standard methods of effectiveness monitoring is discussed.