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Acceptance and commitment therapy group‐treatment for non‐responsive patients with personality disorders: An exploratory study
Author(s) -
Chakhssi Farid,
Janssen Wim,
Pol Silvia M.,
Dreumel Malinda,
Westerhof Gerben J.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
personality and mental health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.193
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 1932-863X
pISSN - 1932-8621
DOI - 10.1002/pmh.1311
Subject(s) - personality disorders , personality , psychology , clinical psychology , personality pathology , psychotherapist , group psychotherapy , acceptance and commitment therapy , depression (economics) , psychiatry , intervention (counseling) , social psychology , economics , macroeconomics
Patients with personality disorders who did not respond to previous outpatient treatment are among the most challenging patients to treat and are often referred to specialized settings. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an innovative therapy that has shown effectiveness in treatment‐resistant cases with chronic or recurrent depression with or without co‐morbid personality disorders. The central role that ACT accords to positive values and experiential avoidance may enhance treatment responsivity in patients with personality disorders that did not respond to previous treatments. The current nonrandomized study explored the effectiveness of a 26‐week ACT‐based group treatment ( n = 60) for personality disorders compared to treatment‐as‐usual ( n = 21) based on cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT‐TAU) at a specialized setting for patients with personality disorders. Individuals in both treatment conditions demonstrated small to moderate decreases in general psychological functioning and personality pathology. There was no main effect of therapy condition. Overall, results suggest that ACT is a possible treatment option for individuals with difficult‐to‐treat personality pathology and further outcome research is warranted. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.