Following the success of the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis for Adults (OPD-2), a multiaxial diagnostic and classification system based on psychodynamic principles has been adapted for children and adolescents by combining psychodynamic, developmental, and clinical psychiatric perspectives. In German speaking countries the OPD-KJ-2 manual has been widely used for assessing indications for therapy, treatment planning, and measuring change. For international use, OPD-KJ-2 has now been translated to English (OPD-CA-2) and Spanish (OPD-IJ-2).
In this symposium we will present empirical data on the use of this psychodynamic assessment instrument in research and clinical practice with a focus on the axes “structure” and “conflict”. The studies demonstrated that the axes were reliable and clinically valid. Further, they illustrate how the new diagnostic tool of OPD-2_CA can be used in treatment planning and evaluation .It allows for discriminating between in- and outpatient treatment, based on structural deficits, prevailing conflicts and treatment prerequisite of clinically disturbed children and adolescents. Information about structural deficits, based on the OPD-CA-2-QA, has proved to be most valuable in working with adolescents with personality disorders.