OUTPATIENT PSYCHOANALYTIC-THERAPY IN GERMANY

Unlike many (clinical) outcome studies, this study was designed to mea sure and evaluate the effects of psychoanalysis performed in its most prevalent setting: the outpatient care in the therapist's office as in dividual and group therapy. A one-page questionnaire was sent to almos t 1000 former patients of analytical psychotherapy (individial and gro up) through their therapists using a 20% sample of all members of the two main associations of analytical psychotherapists in Germany. The a nonymous return rate was 65%. Subjects were asked for their self-asses sed physical, mental, social and overall health status at three points of time: at the beginning and end of their therapy and today. Further more they had to report on their utilization of other health care (phy sician's visits, hospital days, drug consumption) and on their work-lo ss days. The responses show that the self-assessed health status of pa tients had improved significantly by the end of the therapy, and this effect has even slightly increased in the (up to six) years since. The number of hospital days declined on average by two-thirds, the physic ians' visits by one-third and the work-loss days by one-half so that a substantial part of the costs of the therapy was saved in other parts of the health system. It should be mentioned that no significant diff erences between the effects of group and individual therapy could be f ound in our study.