Manual for a psychodynamic-interactional group therapy of somatoform pain syndroms

20-40% of the patients in general practices, as well as in different depart ments in hospitals, suffer from somatoform diseases. 70% of these patients have pain as their main complaint. The present treatment manual is the firs t disease-specific, psychodynamically oriented group-treatment for these pa tients. Compared to other psychodynamic treatment settings this therapy is a short and cost-effective approach to treat these patients. It is based on a so-called psychodynamic-interactional group psychotherapy and focuses on disease-specific parts of the problem, as well as on psychic and interpers onal problems resulting from adverse childhood experiences. Over a period o f six months 7 to 9 patients are treated in 40 group therapy sessions. Two weekly meetings are held during the first four months and one weekly sessio n is held during the last two months. The concept contains psyche-education al elements, the discussion and formulation of individual treatment goals a s well as work with a psychodynamic and relationship-oriented treatment foc us. The efficacy of this concept is planned to be evaluated in a randomised , controlled clinical trial, including two treatment conditions and one con trol condition. One of the two treatment conditions is, beneath the concept already discussed, a cognitive behavioural group therapy.