The aim of this presentation is to introduce a new instrument, used for assessment of symptoms connected with characteristics of sexual life in population of patients with neurosis and related personality disorders.

During the first week of psychotherapy the patients fill a questionnaire, containing statements which cover different areas of sexual life such as: overall satisfaction, present sexual relationships, present sexual activity, dysfunctions of sexual intercourse, experience of sexual trauma, feelings towards one's own body and attractiveness. Data from the pilot study were analyzed in search for preliminary, statistically significant differences between groups of symptoms.

The pilot study on 80 patients (43 females, 37 males) confirmed, that different symptoms connected with sexuality are important component in distress of patients beginning intensive group psychotherapy. In overall, 58% of patients perceived their sexual life as unsatisfactory. Nearly 50% do not experience pleasure connected with sexual activity. Over 85% regard sexuality as important matter. Significant difference was found, as up to 85% patients expect improvement of their sexual life, but only 35% are explicitly interested in including sexuality as one of the themes in psychotherapy.

Results of the pilot study confirm clinical importance of symptoms connected with sexuality in neurotic disorders. Further group psychotherapy effectiveness assessment will bring an opportunity to recognize the specific role of these symptoms in diagnosis and psychotherapy treatment.

To evaluate the changes in perceived social support in patients treated due to neurotic and personality disorders with intensive group psychotherapy.

An analysis of structural and functional social support and personality descriptors evaluated at the beginning and at the end of intensive group psychotherapy has been performed in the group of 60 patients. Social support has been evaluated in terms of informative, emotional and instrumental aspects with the use of Berlin Social Support Scales and in terms of the structure and functional properties with the use of Bizoń’s method of social network and social support assessment. Personality descriptors have been obtained using Neurotic Personality Inventory KON-2006 and NEO-PI-R.

Results of this research support previous findings that successful psychotherapy (in terms of favorable changes in personality descriptors) alters the perceived structure and function of social support. Less populated social support networks become more effectively utilized. Individual members of the networks become perceived as providing social support in a wider range of functional properties. Moreover an overall increase in patients’ satisfaction with available social support has been observed.

Promising results of this study, that support previous findings, show the need for further research on the subject matter. Further analysis of relationship between changes in limited personality traits and particular aspects of social support will provide additional valuable data.

Identifying patients’ risk of reacting with suicidal ideation (SI) to psychotherapy is an important clinical problem that calls for empirical verification.

Analysis of associations between patients’ initial neurotic personality dysfunctions not accompanied by SI and emergence of SI at the end of a course of intensive psychotherapy conducted in integrative approach with predominance of psychodynamic approach in a day hospital.

Neurotic Personality Questionnaire KON-2006 and Life Inventory were completed by 680 patients at the time of admission to a psychotherapeutic day hospital due to neurotic, behavioral or personality disorders. Symptom Checklist KO “O” as a source of information about emergence of SI was completed both at the admission and at the end of the treatment. Among 466 patients without SI at the admission, in 4% SI occurred at the end of the treatment.

A number of neurotic personality dysfunctions (demeanors declared) that significantly predisposed to SI emergence at the end of the treatment were found: physical aggression against close ones (P < 0.001), grandiose fantasies (P = 0.043), tendencies to resignation (P = 0.022) and resignation-related feeling of loss of life opportunities (P = 0.037), tendency to follow predominantly ones intuition (P = 0.035).

In patients who declared the above-mentioned demeanors increased risk of SI emergence than in others (10–30% vs. 4%) indicate that there are particular vulnerable areas of neurotic personality that require especially careful approach during intensive psychotherapy–dealing with those areas may result in distress or anxiety that may lead to SI.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

The hypothalamus—pituitary—adrenal axis (HPA axis) dysregulation plays an important role in the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders. Salivary cortisol level is a useful indicator of HPA axis dysfunction.

Most data suggests elevated cortisol awakening response (CAR) in anxiety disorders, but there are studies indicating opposite pattern (flat CAR).

Goal of this study was to determine whether patients with anxiety and personality disorders show a specific daily cortisol patterns and weather this pattern changes after 12 weeks of intensive predominantly psychodynamic combined group and individual psychotherapy.

The studied population comprised 77 patients, mainly females (72.7%), with primary diagnosis of anxiety disorder 40.9% or personality disorder 59.1%. The Symptom Checklist “0” was used to assess the pre- and post-treatment levels of patients’ symptoms. Pre- and post-treatment cortisol levels were measured in three saliva samples collected during one day (at awakening, 30 min after awakening, at 22.00).

The obtained results were partly similar to previous research. We found four different daily CAR patterns: decreased (drop 30 min after awakening), flat (rise 0–49% 30 min after awakening), normal (rise 50–75% 30 min after awakening) and elevated (rise over 75% 30 min after awakening), two of them (flat and elevated) were considered as typical for anxiety disorders. Groups of CAR pattern differed significantly in the level of sleep symptoms, dysthymia symptoms and avoidance/dependency symptoms. The changes in the CAR pattern after psychotherapy were not significant.

Anxiety disorders and personality disorders are characterized by more than two specific daily salivary cortisol patterns.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Hyperprolactinemia is a common endocrinological disorder. Some data suggest that psychological factors (e.g. personality traits) may play a role in hyperprolactinemia genesis.

Increased prolactin level (PRL) is described as clinical observations in some patients, usually with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. In the international literature there is lack of broader description and information of clinical implications of this phenomenon.

The aim of the study is to evaluate the prevalence of hyperprolactinemia in patients with diagnoses F40-F69 according to ICD-10 and an evaluation of the changes in PRL after psychotherapy.

The study population comprised 64 patients, mainly females (73%), with primary diagnosis of neurotic or personality disorder. Prolactin level was measured during the first and last week of the psychotherapy. Between the measurements patients underwent intensive short-term (12 weeks) group psychotherapy in a day hospital for neurotic and behavioural disorders.

Hyperprolactinemia was found in 41% of males and 42.4% of females in the study group. After psychotherapy significant reduction in prolactin level was observed in 80% of woman with hyperprolactinemia.

Hyperprolactinemia is observed in almost 40% of patients with neurotic and personality disorders. Psychodynamic psychotherapy can be a significant factor improving PRL level in patients with neurotic and personality disorders, specifically women.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.