The Effectiveness of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Systematic Review of Recent International and Australian Research

The purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapy, both generally and in Australian settings. A systematic review of recent (last five years) and Australian (last 10 years) papers using MEDLINE Complete and PsycINFO was performed. For the review of recent literature, 59 papers (56 studies) met the inclusion criteria. The search for Australian literature identified four papers on one quasi-experimental study. Research supports the use of psychodynamic psychotherapy for the treatment of depressive disorders, some anxiety disorders (especially generalised anxiety disorder), somatic symptoms and some somatoform disorders (e.g., hypochondriasis), and some personality disorders (primarily borderline and Cluster C personality disorders). Improvements made through psychodynamic psychotherapy typically endure beyond the completion of treatment. Psychodynamic psychotherapy is generally superior to treatment as usual and equivalent to other psychotherapies.