[Axis I "illness experience and treatment preconditions" of operational psychodynamic diagnosis (OPD). Experiences in clinical practice].

In a selective survey, results on psychometric properties and aspects of application of the axis I, "illness experience and treatment preconditions" of the Operational Psychodynamic Diagnoses (OPD) are described. Following remarks on the role of defense and coping theories in the conceptualisation of the axis, its structure and contents are outlined. After a brief summary of findings on its interrater reliability, several aspects of validity are discussed. Results on discriminative validity show that axis I items are useful in the statistical discrimination of subsamples differing in age, clinical diagnoses, and diagnostic setting (psychotherapy outpatient vs. psychosomatic consultation-liasion services). The contribution of axis I items to prediction of treatment outcomes, moreover, reveals high degree of predictive or treatment validity. After an integrative discussion of these findings, implications of patient personality and coping behaviour for axis I ratings are highlighted as important objectives for future OPD research.