Contractually Time-Limited Psychotherapy in an Outpatient Psychosomatic Clinic
EUGENE MEYER M.D.1,
HERZL R. SPIRO M.D.2,
REGINA SLAUGHTER M.S.S.W.3,
IRWIN W. POLLACK M.D.4,
HERBERT WEINGARTNER PH.D.5, , and
SAMUEL NOVEY M.D.
1 Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md. 21205
2 Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Instructor in Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md. 21205
3 Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md. 21205
4 Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Instructor in Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md. 21205, Chief, Department of Psychiatry, the Sinai Hospital of Baltimore
5 Assistant Professor of Medical Psychology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md. 21205
This report concerns the variables influencing whether a patient showed up for his first psychotherapy appointment, dropped out of therapy, or completed treatment. As single variables, race, sex, age, socioeconomic status, marital status, psychiatric diagnosis, duration of symptoms, and history of parental loss did not relate significantly to completion of therapy. The data thus suggest that, contrary to common belief, patients from the lowest socioeconomic groups can be motivated to complete a program of structured psychotherapy.
