Patient satisfaction with outpatient psychiatric treatment: the role of diagnosis, pharmacotherapy, and perceived therapeutic change.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the influence of diagnosis, type of treatment, and perceived therapeutic change on patient satisfaction following psychiatric treatment for nonpsychotic, nonsubstance-related disorders. METHOD We mailed questionnaires, including Larsen's Client Satisfaction Questionnaire and Grawe's Bern Inventory of Treatment Goals, to outpatients who had undergone 8 or more therapy sessions 1 year following treatment. RESULTS Patients with somatoform, eating, and personality disorders were less satisfied than patients with affective, anxiety, and adjustment disorders. Symptom reduction and changes in the interpersonal domain were important outcomes associated with patient satisfaction. Although pharmacotherapy itself was not related to patient satisfaction, patients who perceived improvements in pharmacotherapy as one of the most important treatment outcomes were less satisfied than others. Preliminary evidence shows that coping with specific problems and symptoms is associated with satisfaction among male patients, whereas changes in the interpersonal domain seem to produce satisfaction among female patients. CONCLUSION Patient-reported change and diagnostic category appear to play a relevant role in generating patient satisfaction. Further research is needed to clarify the interactions between sex, perceived outcome, and satisfaction.