Background. Psychodynamic group psychotherapy may not be an optimal treatment for anxiety and agoraphobic symptoms. We explore remission of SCL-90-R Global Severity Index (GSI) and target symptoms in 39 sessions of psychodynamic group therapy. Methods. SCL-90-R “target symptom” profile and GSI remission according to Danish norms were identified in 239 patients and evaluated according to reliable and clinical significant change. Results. Four major groups of target symptom cases (depression, interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, and phobic anxiety) covered 95.7% of the sample. As opposite to phobic anxiety and anxiety patients, patients with interpersonal sensitivity obtained overall the most optimal outcome. The phobic anxiety scale, social network support, and years of school education were independent predictors of GSI remission, and a low anxiety score and absence of phobic anxiety target symptoms were independent predictors of remission of target symptom pathology. Conclusions. The negative results as associated with the SCL-90-R phobic anxiety scale and the phobic anxiety target symptom group are largely in agreement with recent studies. In contrast, whatever the diagnoses, patients with interpersonal sensitivity target symptom may be especially suited for psychodynamic group therapy. The SCL-90-R subscales may allow for a more complex symptom-related differentiation of patients compared with both diagnoses and GSI symptom load. 1. Introduction A review of analytic and psychodynamic group therapy provides evidence for the effectiveness of treatment in groups, but not necessarily for the superiority of analytic and psychodynamic group therapy [1]. In a recent randomized controlled trial, Watzke et al. selected patients for treatment in either psychodynamic or cognitive behavioral groups [2]. Selection for psychodynamic treatment included evaluations of psychological mindedness and the ability to work with nonsymptomatic treatment goals (e.g., “the integration of unconscious experience” and to “allow experience of emotions”), whereas treatment goals that focused on coping with specific situations and ICD-10 anxiety diagnoses qualified for cognitive behavioral therapy (ibid, page 97). Outcome was evaluated with the Symptom Check List-14 Global Severity Index (GSI) which is a short form of the SCL-90-R [3]. Watzke et al. concluded that consecutive unselected admission of patients favored a cognitive behavioral approach, whereas psychodynamic therapy requires specific selection if comparable improvement in global symptom distress should be obtained. This
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