IN-PERSON PARTICIPANTS
SATURDAY MORNING SYMPOSIUM 1 (S1SP1):
10.30 AM - 12.00 PM
Schema Therapy for Depression by Arnoud Arntz, Alexandra Schosser, Eckhard Roediger, Marit Kool, Samy Egli & Martin Rein |
![]() |
General Abstract: Schema Therapy for Depression - Treating Symptoms and Healing Schemas? This symposium is aimed at evaluating the use of schema therapy in recurrent, chronic and comorbid depression from a scientific perspective. Originally formulated as a transdiagnostic approach for patients with personality disorders, Schema Therapy is constantly extending its clinical use towards the treatment of Axis-I disorders and we want to present a rationale why ST might work for depressive disorders. The speakers will present recent data from four large clinical trials in order to accumulate empirical evidence for the effectiveness of schema therapy in the treatment of depression on a symptom and schema level. Clinical and research implications will be discussed based on the presented data. We will also point out how schema therapy can be integrated into inpatient settings and adapted to shorter time frames.
Talk 2: To evaluate the effect of short timed schema interventions Eckhard Roediger presents data from 448 patients treated in a 4- week inpatient schema based program of a Psychosomatic Clinic under naturalistic conditions. Talk 3: Marit Kool will present the main outcome data of the psychotherapy dosage (PSYDOS-) trial- a randomized controlled trial comparing two dosages of psychotherapy (25 vs 50 sessions) for patients with co-occurring depression and personality disorders. Schema Therapy and Short-term Psychodynamic Supportive Psychotherapy are presented as promising options to effectively treat depression that is interwoven with long-standing personality patterns. Talk 4: Samy Egli will present the Schema Therapy for Depression – Results of an RCT in an Inpatient and Day Clinic Setting (OPTIMA Trial). Talk 5: Martin Rein will present Evaluating the role of maladaptive personality traits in schema therapy and cognitive behaviour therapy for depression – results from the randomized controlled OPTIMA therapy study Presentation 1 Title: Schema Therapy versus Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy in a 6-weeks and 20-weeks ambulant rehabilitation programme Presenter's Name: Alexandra Schosser General Abstract for Presentation 1: Schema Therapy versus Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy in a 6-weeks and 20-weeks ambulant rehabilitation programme 1,2Alexandra Schosser, 1Daniela Fischer-Hansal, 1Gabriele Riedl, 1Nicole Pritz, 1Susanne Dür, 1Christoph Teufl, 1Anna Hülsmann, 1Andreas Affenzeller, 1Birgit Senft Introduction: Presentation 2 Title: Results from a 4-week inpatient schema based program of a Psychosomatic Clinic under naturalistic conditions. Presenter's Name: Eckhard RoedigerGeneral Abstract for Presentation 2: Schema therapy has primarily been developed in out-patient treatment setting and gained first evidence base there, while research on in-patient treatment setting is still hard to find. The clinical study presented here indicates strong effects in a 4-week inpatient schema based program of a Psychosomatic Clinic under naturalistic conditions. Especially depression symptoms of the 448 patients in the PHQ decreased with an effect size of d = 1.0. Presentation 3 Title: Main outcome data of the psychotherapy dosage (PSYDOS-) Presenter's Name: Marit KoolGeneral Abstract for Presentation 3: Integrated treatments provide a conceptual framework to understand and treat the underlying vulnerability in personality in order to improve outcome in depression. Since higher psychotherapy dosages could improve outcome, we compared 50 individual sessions in one year with 25 sessions. In this pragmatic, double randomized, clinical trial (PSYDOS), 246 patients were randomly assigned to 25 or 50 sessions of either Schema Therapy (ST) or Short-term Psychoanalytic Supportive Psychotherapy (SPSP), stratified by depression severity. The primary outcome was depression severity (BDI-II) over time in the intention-to-treat sample. A significant effect of psychotherapy dosage was found on depression severity over time in favour of 50 sessions. The estimated mean difference on the BDI at end of treatment was 6.03, with a between-group effect-size of d=0·70 (95% CI: 0·40-0·99). No differences were found over time between SPSP and ST. The 50-session-condition also resulted in better personality outcomes. This is the first study to compare psychotherapy dosages directly in depressed patients with PD. A higher psychotherapy dosage should be considered for this comorbid group as it treats both depression and underlying vulnerability in personality better and could therefore lead to less recurrence, additional treatment and costs. Long-term effects (including an assessment of cost-effectiveness) should be studied further, as well as working mechanisms. Presentation 4 Title: Schema Therapy for Depression – Results of an RCT in an Inpatient and Day Clinic Setting (OPTIMA Trial) Presenter's Name: Samy Egli General Abstract for Presentation 4: Background: There is evidence from randomized controlled trials for the efficacy of Schema Therapy in outpatient settings for patients, for instance, with personality disorders or depression. To the best of our knowledge, there is no such evidence for an inpatient and day clinic setting with a much shorter treatment duration. Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial comparing Schema Therapy vs. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy vs. individual supportive therapy in N = 294 patients with depression in an inpatient and day clinic setting for a treatment duration of 7 weeks. The primary outcome was the BDI-II. Results: Schema Therapy showed a strong pre to post effect size of Cohen’s d = 1.4. Schema Therapy did not show a clinically relevant difference and can be considered as not inferior to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. However, Schema Therapy was also not significantly better than individual supportive therapy. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge this is the first trial that documents the non-inferiority of Schema Therapy compared to the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in an inpatient and day clinic setting for patients with depression within a short treatment duration of only 7 weeks. Presentation 5 Title: Evaluating the role of maladaptive personality traits in schema therapy and cognitive behaviour therapy for depression – results from the randomized controlled OPTIMA therapy study Presenter's Name: Martin Rein General Abstract for Presentation 5: Objective: We analysed Data from the OPTIMA Study - an RCT for the treatment of depression comparing Schema Therapy (ST), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Individual Supportive Therapy (IST) in an inpatient setting. In our study we investigated the influence of personality pathology as a potential moderator or predictor for differential treatment response (ST vs CBT) in depressed patients and its change during treatment. Method: We included 193 depressed inpatients receiving a seven-week course of either ST or CBT. Latent change score models were applied to test changes of depression and maladaptive traits over treatment. EffecteliteR was used to test the prescriptive potential of personality pathology for ST or CBT allocation. Results: Maladaptive traits did not predict changes in depressive symptomatology at post-treatment, or vice versa. In addition inter-individual differences in maladaptive traits at baseline were not predictive of favorable treatment allocation choices. However, four out of five maladaptive traits decreased over treatment independent of treatment with ST or CBT. Conclusions: Contrary to our expectations these results did not suggest new treatment targets or allocation choices in depression, although several limitations ask for replication. About the Presenters: Arnoud Arntz Arnoud Arntz is professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with an affiliation at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. His main research interests lie in the fields of PTSD and personality disorders, both applied and fundamental. He also practices as a psychotherapist at PsyQ in Amsterdam, where he treats patients with trauma and personality disorders. Together with Adam Radomsky he was editor of the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. Alexandra Schosser Eckhard Roediger Marit Kool Marit Kool is a clinical psychologist-psychotherapist in the Netherlands, specialised in Schema Therapy. She works at the NPI (part of Arkin GGZ), a specialised centre in personality disorders in Amsterdam. Besides her clinical work, she is conducting an RCT as part of her PHD-programme. Samy Egli, M.Sc. Samy Egli is a M.Sc. in Applied Cognitive Psychology at the University of Zurich in 2004, after a year in research at Harvard Medical School affiliated McLean Hospital, Boston, USA in 2001. Ph.D. in cognitive psychology and psychopathology, with a research stay at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich in 2008. Master of Advanced Studies and Certification in psychotherapy with a cognitive behavioral and interpersonal focus at the Klaus-Grawe-Institute for Psychological Therapy, Zurich and the University of Basel in 2012. After six years as a clinical psychotherapist and deputy Head of Psychology at the Schloessli-Clinic near Zurich until 2014, starting in 2015 as Head of Psychology at the Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany. Currently working in the continuous establishment of a method-integrative psychotherapy in clinical psychiatry, research and training with a focus in and passion for Schema Therapy in individual and group- in- and outpatient settings. Martin Rein Coming soon... |
©2021 International Society of Schema Therapy e.V.
International Society of Schema Therapy e.V. is a not-for-profit organization. Glossop-Ring 35, DE-61118 Bad Vilbel, Germany