psychotherapy

PillsMore mental disorders treated with drugs only compared with a decade ago, while “talk therapy” — either by itself or in combination with medication — is on the decline, a new study finds.
The implications of the trend, as well as its underlying causes, are not fully clear, according to researchers. But they say the findings indicate that outpatient mental health care in the U.S. is being redefined. link to read more

Source: Reuters

Leading psychotherapy researchers attack a JAMA article
This paper criticizes the methodology of a meta-analysis and 8 studies published in the JAMA last year which indicated that longer term psychodynamic psychotherapy (LTPP) was more effective than short therapies. The investigators found a miscalculation of the effect sizes used to make key comparisons and found no evidence to support claims of superiority of LTPP over shorter-term methods of psychotherapy.

In a meta-analysis published in the JAMA last year it was concluded that longer term psychodynamic psychotherapy (LTPP) was more effective than short therapies.
Now a group of psychotherapy researchers including Aaron Beck, the father of cognitive therapy, criticizes the methodology of that paper. Their criticism is published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. [continue reading…]

Image credit: Getty Images

Image credit: Getty Images

There is an interesting article in the LA Times this morning Debate over cognitive, traditional mental health therapy Eric Jaffe takes a look at the debate centered around how psychologists approach therapeutic practice

Psychologists who favor the more medical-minded cognitive behavioral model point to growing evidence of its efficacy. Proponents of psychoanalysis deride a one-size-fits-all approach. Link to read the full article

Source: LA Times

How psychotherapy works

couch.jpgBruce E. Wampold, Ph.D., is chair and professor of counseling psychology and clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Wampold is a groundbreaking researcher and theoretician, bringing the rigor of his training in mathematics and the sciences to understanding psychotherapy. He has published more than 100 scientific articles and is the author of the acclaimed book, “The Great Psychotherapy Debate,” which is a synthesis of empirical research on psychotherapy using sophisticated methods that is situated in a historical and anthropological context. APA spoke to Dr. Wampold about how psychotherapy works and what the research tells us about different types of treatment, including psychiatric drugs.

Image Credit: Getty Images

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