The Therapeutic System as Viewed by Depressive Inpatients and Outcome: An Expanded Study

Abstract

In an expansion of a previous study, we examined in which way depressive inpatients' views of psychiatrists' and significant others' attitudes toward the severity of their illness were related to outcome. Fifty-six patients were asked a two-part question--"Who regards your illness as being more severe: (a) you or your significant others; (b) you or your psychiatrist?" Two subsamples of patients were identified: those who viewed the psychiatrists' and significant others' attitudes as similar and those who viewed them as dissimilar. Both groups showed substantial and significant improvement during hospital treatment; but the group that viewed the attitudes held by psychiatrists and significant others as dissimilar had significantly fewer depressive symptoms by the end of a 3-month followup period. The findings were consistent with those of the original study, and with the hypothesis as derived from the Mental Research Institute brief therapy principles.

Therapeutic Relationships and Quality of Life: Association of Two Subjective Constructs in Schizophrenia Patients

“…Although there may be some divergence from one's s typical position in a relationship when a new relationship is formed, it may be that these relationships are subsequently subject to the same patterns as previous other relationships. Empirical research from a systemic perspective (Priebe, 1989;Priebe & Haug, 1992;Priebe & Pommerien, 1992) provides some support for the idea that therapeutic potential may be assessed, in part, by exploring how the therapeutic relationship is similar to or differs from relationships with significant others, an area of research that warrants further attention.…”

Expatriates' Ethnicity and their Effectiveness: "Similarity Attraction" or "Inverse Resonance"?

“…There are some studies (Beutler, 1975;Priebe & Pommerien, 1992) that have failed to find an expected relationship between client-therapist similarity and therapy outcome, a relationship which is complicated by the fact that therapy itself can be construed as an attempt to exert influence on the client (Beutler & Bergan, 1991). The latter means that the degree of similarity may partly determine the scope for influence (and thereby &dquo;success&dquo;) to occur.…”