The Relational Psychotherapy Mothers' Group (RPMG), a developmentally informed, supportive psychotherapy designed to serve heroin-addicted mothers with children up to 16 years of age, aims at addressing psychosocial vulnerabilities, and facilitating optimal parenting, among at-risk mothers. We present preliminary evidence on the efficacy of RPMG as an "add on" treatment in comparison with stand...

This study explored the predictive value of observer-rated and self-reported defensive functioning on the outcome of psychotherapy for the treatment of depression. Defense styles were measured according to the Developmental Profile (DP) and the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ) in 81 moderately severely depressed patients. All patients were treated with Short-term Psychodynamic Supportive Psych...

Torture entails the deliberate infliction of severe physical and mental pain and suffering through cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment and punishment to silence individuals and oppositions to the ruling authorities. Such victims experience mental death, difficulties in coping, memory and concentration impairment, loss of core beliefs, feelings of shame and guilt, mental defeat, and alienatio...

In this study, we investigated the personality variable quality of object relations (QOR) as a moderator of the relationship between the pattern of the therapeutic alliance and treatment outcome in two forms (interpretive, supportive) of short-term individual psychotherapy. In a sample of 72 psychiatric outpatients who completed interpretive therapy, QOR emerged as a moderator for the outcome f...

Although the subject has been debated and examined for more than 3 decades, it is still not clear whether all psychotherapies are equally efficacious. The authors conducted 7 meta-analyses (with a total of 53 studies) in which 7 major types of psychological treatment for mild to moderate adult depression (cognitive-behavior therapy, nondirective supportive treatment, behavioral activation treat...

CONTEXT Previous studies have found that few chronically depressed patients remit with antidepressant medications alone. OBJECTIVE To determine the role of adjunctive psychotherapy in the treatment of chronically depressed patients with less than complete response to an initial medication trial. DESIGN This trial compared 12 weeks of (1) continued pharmacotherapy and augmentation with cogni...

Vol. 12 No. 10 269 8. Blake-Mortimer J, Gore-Felton C, Kimerling R, et al. Improving the Quality and Quantity of Life Among Patients With Cancer—A review of the effectiveness of group psychotherapy. European Journal of Cancer October 1999; 35(11): 1581–6. 9. Brigden M, McKenzie M. Treating Cancer Patients. Practical monitoring and management of therapy related complications. Canadian Family Phy...