RESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Multimedia Psychotherapy is a new form of brief psychotherapy based on narrative medicine and ethnopsychoanalytic theories, developed to help patients affected by prolonged grief disorder (ICD-11). It consists of eight sessions, during which an 'audio-video memory object' is produced by using pictures, video clips, and music chosen by the bereaved patient. The audio-video montage is focused on remembering the deceased relative and help the patient to move on. Considering initial positive results, we ran a first controlled pilot study comparing experimental and control group. METHODS: We enrolled a sample of bereaved patients who were referred for prolonged grief disorder (ICD-11) by their general practitioners or psychiatrists. Patients were randomly assigned to the experimental group (n=18) or to the control group (n=18). Patients in the experimental group received psycho-pharmacological therapy and multimedia psychotherapy, while patients in the control group received psycho-pharmacological therapy and psycho-oncological support. All patients were assessed with Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) and Prolonged Grief-13 (PG-13) prior to beginning treatment (pre-treatment), and with PG-13 after six months from the end of the treatment (post-treatment). RESULTS: Patients in the experimental group (i.e., Multimedia Psychotherapy treatment) after six months performed better than patients in the control group in Criteria B, D, and E of PG-13 (i.e.: Separation Distress, Cognitive, Emotional, and Behavioral Symptoms, Functional Impairment). DISCUSSION: We will discuss our results, issues related to the screening of patients (due to possible contraindications of Multimedia Psychotherapy), and methodological limitations. Finally, we will discuss new future applications in other clinical situations. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that multimedia psychotherapy may hold promise for the treatment of prolonged grief disorder (ICD-11).
Asunto(s)
Multimedia , Psicoterapia Breve , Emociones , Pesar , Humanos , Proyectos Piloto , PsicoterapiaRESUMEN
Mourning the death of a beloved person is one of life's most stressful events. This psychotherapy case study describes a form of psychodynamic psychotherapy that the author developed in working with a patient who suffered from complicated grief after the death of her father from lung cancer. During sessions, the therapist worked with the patient to collect pictures and organize a "strip of life" of her father's most meaningful moments. The patient then wrote a short text associated with each picture. Finally, she chose music to be added to this "slide show" or "psychodynamic montage" as its soundtrack. The resulting multimedia presentation was finally posted on the Internet on a website to which only the patient and her relatives and friends had access via a password. This therapeutic strategy was effective in helping this patient resolve her symptoms of complicated grief. The author suggests that this new approach to psychodynamic psychotherapy may be a cost-effective and well-received tool for use in institutions such as hospices and general hospitals.