Something for everyone-Health blog

It seems, with the hustle and bustle of today’s environment many prefer whatever is quickest, from grabbing a bite to eat at a fast food joint to in-and-out medical care. However, the quickest solution may not always be the best. Whether it is a result of rampant drug therapy or the busy lives we live, extended psychoanalytic therapy through discussion with a trained therapist has seemed to dwindle away. People may want to think again about the quick fix. In a recent study there is evidence showing “talk therapy" can be very effective in treating chronic mental problems such as depression, impulsive actions, mood instability, and chaotic relationships. Administering a drug for mental illness may give the quickest relief, but it probably won’t actually cure the cause. A continued regime of meeting with a professional to talk about one's life, tthe good and the bad, may be a better solution for long term care.

An article recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, outlined a review of 23 studies involving 1,053 patients who underwent intensive psychoanalytic therapy. Of the 23 studies, eleven were randomized controlled trials, and 12 were observational studies. The authors of the study found psychoanalytic therapy, sometimes given as much as three times a week, and for over a year, resulted in reducing the symptoms of the patient’s problems significantly compared to shorter term therapies. In fact, the number of therapy sessions was directly related back to the improvements made in the patients. The article encourages scientist to provide more testing of c therapy.

Falk Leichsenring, a professor of psychotherapy research in the department of psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy at the University of Giessen in Germany and the study's lead author stated, "With regard to overall effectiveness, on average, patients with complex mental disorders were better off after treatment with long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy than 96 percent of the patients in the comparison groups. Thus, this meta-analysis provides evidence that long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy is an effective treatment for complex mental disorders." According to Leichsenring, psychodynamic therapy puts the focus on developing the relationship between the therapist and patient which is much different than the shorter-term forms of therapy. Analysis found the overall resolution of the target problems were superior for those who shared in long term treatment than compared to the other groups.

Have you ever had a doctor give you a prescription and tell you to make sure to take it all? They tell us this because you may begin to feel better before finished with the prescription, but you need the whole prescription to prevent relapse or to complete treatment. This seems to also be the same for patients with complex mental disorders. They should continue long term treatment based on the current study, even though one may feel better with only a few psychotherapy visits it is better to continue attending therapy for the best results. Because insurance companies don’t always want to pay for the long term treatment it makes it difficult for some patients to continue therapy. Some insurance companies feel medications and short term therapies are more cost effective says Dr. Charles Goodstein, with the New York University School of Medicine and Langone Medical Center in New York City. He also states "This study provides a great value for doctors and for patients, and one would hope could have an influence on policy decisions."