Is there a prospective association between psychological distress as measured by the CORE-OM and treatment attendance and treatment duration? A follow-up study at a Norwegian Community Mental Health Centre.

Higher patient-reported psychological distress as measured by the CORE-OM at the start of treatment was prospectively associated with treatment duration but not with treatment attendance or drop-out of treatment. The findings imply that patients with higher initial psychological distress need longer treatment but that treatment attendance may be related to factors other than the severity of distress.