The Psychotherapist Matters: Comparison of Outcomes Across Twenty-Two Therapists and Seven Patient Samples

In a group of 25 patients with major depression, the authors investigated the relationships among having a comorbid personality disorder, the severity of psychiatric disorder, and the outcome of dynamic psychotherapy. They found that 1) depressed patients with a comorbid diagnosis of personality disorder had more severe psychiatric disturbance at intake and at termination of therapy as well as at follow-up and 2) although all patients improved and maintained their gains at follow-up, those with a comorbid personality disorder diagnosis did not improve as much as those without a personality disorder.