The effectiveness of psychoanalytic/ psychodynamic psychotherapy for reducing suicide attempts and self-harm: systematic review and meta-analysis
- Forfatter(e)
- Briggs, S. Netuveli, G. Gould, N. Gkaravella, A. Gluckman, N. S. Kangogyere, P. Farr, R. Goldblatt, M. J. Lindner, R.
- År
- 2019
- Tidsskrift
- British Journal of Psychiatry
- Sider
- 320-328
- Kategori(er)
- Selvskading/selvmord
- Tiltakstype(r)
- Psykodynamisk/interpersonlig terapi
- Abstract
Background: Preventing suicide and self-harm is a global health priority. Although there is a growing evidence base for the effectiveness of psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychotherapies for a range of disorders, to date there has been no systematic review of its effectiveness in reducing suicidal and self-harming behaviours.
Aims: To systematically review randomised controlled trials of psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychotherapies for suicidal attempts and self-harm.
Method: We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, Psycharticles, CINAHL, EMBASE and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for randomise controlled trials of psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychotherapies for reducing suicide attempts and self-harm.
Results: Twelve trials (17 articles) were included in the meta-analyses. Psychoanalytic and psychodynamic therapies were effective in reducing the number of patients attempting suicide (pooled odds ratio, 0.469; 95% CI 0.274-0.804). We found some evidence for significantly reduced repetition of self-harm at 6-month but not 12-month follow-up. Significant treatment effects were also found for improvements in psychosocial functioning and reduction in number of hospital admissions.
Conclusions: Psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychotherapies are indicated to be effective in reducing suicidal behaviour and to have short-term effectiveness in reducing self-harm. They can also be beneficial in improving psychosocial well-being. However, the small number of trials and moderate quality of the evidence means further high-quality trials are needed to confirm our findings and to identity which specific components of the psychotherapies are effective.