Psychotherapy in decline: What steps are needed to promote evidence-based practice?

摘要

Although mental health treatment utilization has increased overall in recent years, this has mainly been driven by the increased number of individuals receiving pharmacotherapy [1]. At the same time, there has been a decrease in psychotherapy use. The disparity between these treatments does not necessarily reflect differences in efficacy. Various psychosocial interventions have garnered considerable empirical support over recent decades as stand-alone treatments for the most common psychiatric conditions, including depression, anxiety disorders and substance abuse [2]. Adjunctive psychotherapy also has been shown to significantly improve outcomes for patients already receiving pharmacotherapy for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.