Prognostic Factors in Psychotherapy

From a large number of applicants to the psychiatric clinic, those patients who expressed a great desire for help which involved more than just symptomatic relief and who stimulated a positive reaction in the doctor, tended to be accepted for treatment more often than others. These "well-motivated" patients were more likely to be diagnosed as having psychoneurotic reactions while the more poorly motivated patients were more likely to be diagnosed as having personality disorders. The well-motivated patients were apt to be considered good subjects for brief nonintensive psychotherapy, and in fact a very high percentage of them were helped by such treatment. There is some danger that the poorly motivated, more difficult patient will be avoided rather than considered a greater challenge.