Outcome of psychoanalytically oriented group psychotherapy

A study of 100 consecutive persons who terminated, once a week, psychoanalytically oriented group psychotherapy shows that it is an effective treatment for neurotic persons with good ego strength who remain in therapy a year or longer. Analytically oriented group therapy was less effective in treating severely ego-impaired persons, and group members of all levels of ego strength often required augmentation of their group therapy by individual sessions and psychotropic medications. Early dropouts (less than 30 sessions) seemed related to lack of motivation and poor fit with the group. Later dropouts (sessions 30-60) seemed related to low ego strength.