Emotional distress in chronic medical illness: treatment with time-limited group psychotherapy.

Time-limited (12 sessions) group psychotherapy was provided for 14 patients with a variety of serious medical illnesses. All patients were referred for psychiatric assistance and most had minimal or no psychiatric disorder. Patients not terminally ill, in continuous pain, or cognitively impaired, but otherwise unselected, were offered treatment. Emphasis was placed on validation of feelings, interpersonal understanding, and problem solving. Increased sense of well being was noted in all patients by self-report; this was contrasted by findings on the Millon Behavioral Health Inventory indicating generally sustained somatic concern. A moderate reduction in the number of visits to other clinics was noted during the treatment period. Although outcome data are incomplete, this appears to be a useful and cost-effective treatment for mixed groups of emotionally distressed medical patients.