Application of psychological diagnosis in the process of establishing criteria for psychodynamic therapy designed for patients with personality disorders

Abstract

Aim of the study. The main purpose of this paper was to present a model of psychological diagnosis, aimed at establishing the fundamental criteria for qualifying patients with symptoms of various mental disorders (including neurotic and personality disorders) for outpatient psychodynamic therapy. Subject or material and methods. Rorschach Inkblot Test, clinical interview Results. The research was conducted in the years 2010-2013 in the Neurosis Treatment Centre and in the Mental Health Outpatient Clinic A study population comprised 38 males and 42 females. Discussion. The structure of personality characteristics and their impact on a patient's eligibility to participate in a particular type of psychotherapy was assessed based on the major assumptions of psychodynamic approach, with special focus on the criteria put forward by Gabbard; the Big Five personality dimensions; as well as on the diagnostic criteria for personality disorders, developed by the American Psychiatric Association. Conclusions. Analysis of the result of this research allowed to develop a model of fundamental criteria for selecting an appropriate form of psychotherapy designed for patients with various types of personality disorders. Eight criteria were found to be significant in the process of qualifying the aforementioned individuals for outpatient psychotherapy. They included two psychological dimensions: intrapsychic (describing psychological indicators of the self-structure and maturity level of the patient's identity) and interpersonal (describing indicators of the person's capacity for establishing emotional relations with others). Diagnosis of the aforementioned indicators proves to contribute significantly to the process of selecting effective therapeutic methods for neurotic patients as well as individuals who exhibit symptoms of more severe destabilization of personality organization.