Response to "Treatment compliance and effectiveness in complex PTSD patients with co-morbid personality disorder undergoing stabilizing cognitive behavioral group treatment: a preliminary study"

Last November, the European Journal of Psychotraumatology published an interesting paper entitled "Treatment compliance and effectiveness in complex PTSD patients with co-morbid personality disorder undergoing stabilizing cognitive behavioral group treatment: a preliminary study". This article describes a post hoc analysis on data derived from an analysis of a sample of complex PTSD patients previously published in the Journal of Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy. It shows the differential effects of an experimental condition of a psycho-educational and cognitive behavioral stabilizing group course added to treatment as usual (TAU) compared to TAU (only) for child-abuse-related complex PTSD. It appeared that drop-out in the stabilization course scarcely occurred in patients with the most severe (i.e., borderline) personality pathology (4%), whereas of those with fewer of such characteristics, 43% did not complete the course. We are concerned that the authors’ conclusions based upon their initial analysis, suggesting this program being efficacious, could prematurely encourage clinicians, as well as investigators, to offer their patients similar stabilization programs in affiliated mental health institutions. Therefore, we feel it as our obligation to share our alternate viewpoint with the readers.