Objectives: Analysis of changes in prevalence and intensity of suicidal ideation (SI) in patients who underwent an intensive psychotherapy conducted in integrative approach with predominance of psychodynamic approach in the Day Hospital for Neurotic and Behavioral Disorders.
Methods: Symptom checklist KO"O" and Life Inventory completed by 461 women and 219 men who were treated in the day hospital due to neurotic, behavioral and personality disorders in 2005-2013.
Results: Patients initially reporting SI showed greater than others global intensity of the neurotic symptoms (p < 0.001 for both sexes) and greater intensity in almost all the neurotic symptoms scales. Improvement (elimination or reduction of intensity) in terms of SI was observed in 84.3% of women and 77.5% of men. The prevalence of SI-reporting patients decreased substantially from 29.1% to 10.2% in women and from 36.5% to 13.7% in men.
Conclusions: The patients reporting SI before the commencement of psychotherapy constituted a large part of the studied population - approximately 1/3. They showed greater intensity of neurotic symptoms than those who were not reporting SI. Intensive psychotherapy in the day hospital was characterized by high effectiveness in terms of reduction and elimination of SI. Prevalence of SI in both women and men until the end of therapy decreased almost three times. Cases of improvement in terms of SI were several times more frequent than cases of deterioration in terms of SI (increase in its intensity or its occurrence at the end of therapy). Etiopathogenesis of SI and its methods of treatment require further research.
Keywords: effectiveness of psychotherapy; neurotic symptoms; suicidal ideation.