[The effects of psychotherapy on Crohn's disease patients--results of a randomized multicenter study]. / Die Wirksamkeit psychotherapeutischer Massnahmen bei Morbus Crohn. Ergebnisse einer randomisierten, multizentrischen Studie.

In a prospective multicenter study of Crohn disease patients, the influence of psychotherapy on the course of the disease and on psychosocial variables (anxiety, depression, life satisfaction and data of the PSKB) was studied. Psychodynamic oriented psychotherapy was provided in addition to a standardized medical treatment and took place during the first year of the two-year observation period. 108 of 488 patients were recruited and randomly assigned to the psychotherapy and the control group. 84 patients completed the somatic and 81 the psychosocial follow up. 23% of the control group and 30% of the psychotherapy group showed episode-free courses, 29% and 17% respectively underwent surgery (worst outcome group). The ranking and comparisons of the disease course showed no significant difference (p = 0.125) between psychotherapy and control group. The psychosocial variables also showed no differences between these groups. Subjectively, the patients report favourable effects to psychotherapy.

[Not Available]. / Diagnostik und Behandlung in der Psychosomatischen Grundbehandlung.

It may be possible to identify elements of psychosomatic/psychotherapeutic pri-mary care in the Federal Republic of Germany and the former German Democratic Republic by comparing the current state of basic psychosomatic care (BPSC) in the eastern and western part of Berlin. 278 Berlin patients with psychosocial problems were recruited 1995 for a basic documentation system of the BPSC in connection with a project supported by the Federal Ministry for Health at the Berlin Center. Their data were compared with re-gard to diagnostic and therapeutic measures applied in the eastern and western part of Berlin. Furthermore, 617 questionnaires on basic psychosomatic care were filled out by physicians in private practice in both parts of the city in 1994. Despite the identical or lower assessment of their patients* biopsychosocial stress, East Berlin physicians take considerably more therapeutic measures than their collea-gues in West Berlin. There are only minor differences between physicians from the eastern and western part of the city despite variances in the training and advanced training systems for BPSC. The possible causes are discussed.