Do Patients With Treatment-resistant Disorders Recover?

Abstract

This column describes the challenge posed by patients with treatment-resistant disorders. It then reviews a recently published study demonstrating that with adequate treatment and enough time—over a decade—even patients with conditions that were previously considered treatment-resistant and who have high degrees of comorbidity, suicide risk, and a significant number of prior hospitalizations can achieve full recovery in terms of measures of psychodynamic conflicts, symptoms, and overall functioning. These areas of improvement converge and thus appear to be linked, suggesting the transdiagnostic relevance of psychodynamic measures.