Is psychodynamic psychotherapy an effective intervention for individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) of psychosis?: a case report

• Autor(a) principal: Martins,Paula A.
• Data de Publicação: 2012
• Outros Autores: Gonçalves,Priscila Dib, Arcuri,Silvia Maria, Leite Netto,Oswaldo F., Macedo,Gamaliel, Louzã,Mario
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Jornal Brasileiro de Psiquiatria (Online)
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0047-20852012000400011
• topic: Psychosis; ultra-high risk (UHR); psychodynamic psychotherapy (PD-P)

OBJECTIVE: To report a case and to discuss the use of psychodynamic psychotherapy (PD-P) to treat individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) of psychosis. METHODS: An individual at UHR was followed up for 24 months. The baseline evaluation included a psychiatric interview, the Structured Interview for Prodromal Symptoms (SIPS), the Scale of Prodromal Symptoms (SOPS), and neuropsychological assessment. He underwent weekly sessions of PD-P for 12 months and was followed up for 12 months after the end of PD-P. The evaluations were at baseline, after 6-, 12-, and 24-month follow-up. No medication was prescribed during the 24-month follow-up. RESULTS: The prodromal symptoms remitted. The initial total score on the SIPS/SOPS was 37 points. After the first 12 months of PD-P, there was a reduction to 12 points on the SIPS/SOPS score, which stabilized in the 24-month follow-up. There was also a slight improvement in his performance on the neuropsychological evaluations. CONCLUSION: This case report suggests that PD-P can reduce prodromal symptoms; nevertheless, a better understanding of the specificity and efficacy of PD-P as an option of treatment for UHR individuals is needed.