"Existential Catastrophe Anxiety": Phenomenology of Fearful Emotions in a Subset of Service Users With Severe Mental Health Conditions.

A subset of people with severe mental health conditions feels they are on the verge of losing control, even in the absence of external threats or triggers. Some go to extreme ends to avoid affective arousal and associated expectations of a possible, impending catastrophe. We have learned about such phenomenological, emotional challenges in a group of individuals with severe, composite mental health problems and psychosocial disabilities. These individuals have had long treatment histories in the mental health care system. They have been encountered at a specialized inpatient ward offering exposure-based therapy that aims at restoring self-regulation and recovery. We describe the phenomenology of anxiety and fear presented by these service users, a fear we have coined existential catastrophe anxiety (ECa). We also suggest a set of underlying, interacting, psychological mechanisms that may give rise to ECa, before comparing ECa with three other constructs previously described in the literature-annihilation anxiety, ontological insecurity, and affect phobia. These comparisons show several similarities, but also unique qualities with ECa and its suggested underlying mechanisms. The conceptualization of ECa may aid clinicians in addressing extreme experiential turmoil and engage service users in empowering therapeutic projects.

Drug-free after basal exposure therapy. / Medisinfri etter basal eksponeringsterapi.

BAKGRUNN: Vestre Viken tilbyr basal eksponeringsterapi til døgnpasienter med alvorlige sammensatte psykiske lidelser og lavt funksjonsnivå. I behandlingen kan de som ønsker det få hjelp til å bli medisinfrie. Det sentrale behandlingselementet er eksponering for uønskede indre opplevelser, betegnet som eksistensiell katastrofeangst. Vi undersøkte pasientenes psykososiale fungering etter minst to år etter avsluttet døgnbehandling. MATERIALE OG METODE: Det var tilgjengelige data for 33 av 36 utskrevne pasienter. Vi registrerte psykofarmakabruk, symptom- og funksjonsnivå (Global Assessment of Functioning, GAF), utdanningsnivå, arbeidsevne og boevne ved inntaks- og oppfølgingstidspunktet samt innleggelser året før inntak og oppfølging. Grad av eksponering ble skåret ved utskrivning. RESULTATER: Ved oppfølgingstidspunktet (i gjennomsnitt 5,3 år) var 16 personer medisinfrie, mens 17 fremdeles brukte psykofarmaka. Gjennomsnittlig GAF-skår i den medisinfrie gruppen var ca. 65, noe som tilsvarer milde symptomer og lettere sosiale utfordringer. I psykofarmakagruppen var gjennomgjennomsnittlig GAF-skår ca. 41, noe som indikerer alvorlige problemer og behandlingsbehov. Fire av de medisinfrie og 13 av dem som brukte psykofarmaka, var blitt reinnlagt året før oppfølgingen, og henholdsvis ni og én var i minst 50 % arbeid. Medisinfrie pasienter med høy grad av eksponering hadde best psykososial fungering. De syv som oppnådde full tilfriskning, var alle medisinfrie. FORTOLKNING: De pasientene som i basal eksponeringsterapi valgte å eksponere seg, trappet ned psykofarmakabruken og etter hvert ble medisinfrie, viste ved langtidsoppfølgingen bedre psykososial fungering enn de som fortsatt brukte psykofarmaka.

Basal Exposure Therapy: A New Approach for Treatment-Resistant Patients with Severe and Composite Mental Disorders.

New treatment approaches are needed for patients with severe and composite mental disorders who are resistant to conventional treatments. Such treatment-resistant patients often have diagnoses of psychotic or bipolar disorders or severe personality disorders and comorbid conditions. In this study, we evaluate basal exposure therapy (BET), a novel ward-integrated psychotherapeutic approach for these patients. Central to BET is the conceptualization of undifferentiated existential fear as basic to the patients' problem, exposure to this fear, and the therapeutic platform complementary external regulation, which integrates and governs the totality of interventions throughout the treatment process. BET is administered at a locked-door ward with 6 patient beds and 13.5 full-time employees, including a psychiatrist and 2 psychologists. Thirty-eight patients who had completed BET were included, all but two being female, mean age 29.9 years. Fourteen patients had a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (F20/25), eight had bipolar disorder or recurrent depressive disorder (F31/33), eight had diagnoses in the F40-48 domain (neurotic, stress-related, and somatoform disorders), five were diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder (F60.3), and three patients had other diagnoses. Twenty of the patients (53%) had more than one ICD-10 diagnosis. Average treatment time in BET was 13 months, ranging from 2 to 72 months. Time-series data show significant improvements in symptoms and functioning from enrollment to discharge, with effect sizes at 0.76 for the Dissociation Experience Scale, 0.93 for the Brief Symptom Inventory, 1.47 for the Avoidance and Action Questionnaire, and 1.42 and 1.56, respectively, for the functioning and symptom subscales of the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale. In addition, the patients used significantly less antiepileptic, antipsychotic, anxiolytic, and antidepressant medications at discharge than at treatment enrollment. Patient improvement across treatment was associated with the following duration of time in BET, the successful completions of the exposure component of BET, positive changes in experiential avoidance as measured with the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, and high symptom levels and low levels of functioning at treatment start. The findings indicate that BET may be a promising inpatient psychotherapeutic approach for previously treatment-resistant patients with severe and comorbid conditions.