Psychosocial, symptomatic and diagnostic changes with long-term psychodynamic art psychotherapy for personality disorders

• In this study, we used psychodynamic art psychotherapy with patients with personality disorders.
• We experienced that long-term psychodynamic art psychotherapy decreases in their symptoms of self-mutilation, suicidal attempts, self-harm behaviors.
• The use of art psychotherapy for severe personality disorders serves as a very beneficial tool, which facilitates the process of holding the patient in therapy.
• Art/drawing work in psychotherapy allows working through by providing a good container and reduced the number of dropouts.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the changes in the beginning and termination phases of psychotherapy in terms of psychosocial, symptomatic, diagnostic and personality qualities in patients with personality disorders receiving long term, individual psychodynamic art psychotherapy. This study was conducted with 17 patients at the Istanbul Medical Faculty, Department of Psychiatry. Psychosocial and clinical data were collected with a Personal Information Questionnaire, MMPI and DSM-III-R. The overall functioning (GAF) of the patients significantly increased (General: z = −3.631, p < .001), (highest level: z = −3.626, p < .001). There were statistically significant decreases in alcohol use (z = −2.45, p < .05), suicidal ideation (z = −3.00, p < .01), impulsive behaviors (z = −3.74, p < .001), self-mutilative behaviors (z = −2.24, p < .05), psychotic symptoms (z = −2.00, p < .05) and psychotropic medication use (z = −2.71, p < .01) at the termination phase. This study demonstrates that in the treatment of personality disorders, long-term psychodynamic artwork is beneficial and drawing is a good container that allows working through in psychotherapy.