(Newswire.net — May 21, 2019) — The statistics on Americans who struggle with major mental health issues is alarming, to say the least. At least one in four Americans struggle with a major mental health disorder – be it anxiety, depression, eating disorder, ADHD, substance abuse, or another. Most psychotherapists have the conviction that their efforts produce significant effects. However, many people still ask the question: Is psychotherapy effective?
Is Psychotherapy Effective?
Since psychotherapy is among one of the ways that people treat mental disorders, many people also ask, “Is psychotherapy effective?” Psychotherapy has been found to be effective across settings ranging from community centers to independent practices to day hospitals, and across all ages, ranging from young children to adults to older adults.
What Is Psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy includes a group of therapies used to treat a broad range of psychological disorders, focusing on changing thoughts, perceptions, emotions and faulty behaviors that are often associated with specific disorders.
Is It Effective?
Numerous studies and research findings underscore the positive and consistent effects of psychotherapy. Psychotherapy has been found to be effective across settings ranging from community centers to independent practices to day hospitals, and across all ages, ranging from young children to adults to older adults. Evidence suggests that psychotherapy works with different people in varying situations and have different reasons for considering therapy in the first place.
According to a review conducted by the American Psychological Association, psychotherapy is not only effective but also produces long-term health improvements and helps to reduce the overall need for health services. Nonetheless, government and insurance industry data indicate that the use of medications to address mental and behavioral health problems has increased over the last decade while the use of psychotherapy has decreased, although there are numerous benefits to seeing a therapist.
Harvard University psychologist, Dr. Robert Rosenthal was able to demonstrate that the typical effects of psychotherapy exceed the effect of biomedical breakthroughs by comparing the effects of medication and the effects of psychotherapy. In simple terms, psychotherapy is quite effective.
Studies indicate that psychotherapy is generally as effective if not more effective than conventional medication used to treat mental and behavioral disorders such as depression, especially when long-term follow up and consumer satisfaction are considered. Several studies show that psychotherapy for depression is at least as effective as antidepressants during the treatment period and more effective in preventing recurrence of symptoms once the treatment is stopped.
The relationship between the client and therapist plays a significant role in the effectiveness of the therapy. For instance, better communication will affect therapy in a positive manner. Contrary to popular belief, antidepressant medications also rely on client and relationship factors such as confidence, hope and relationship between the psychologist and client.
Based on the outcomes of several studies, at least 75% of the reduction in depressive symptoms when taking antidepressant medication is based on the client having confidence in the treatment and the therapist, and doing something actively rather than just the active ingredients in the medication.
Bottom Line
Studies also show that more people prefer psychotherapy over medication. While medication is appropriate in some cases, research shows that a combination of psychotherapy and medication is often most effective in treating anxiety and depression. Is psychotherapy effective? The simple answer is that psychotherapy produces effects that are often comparable to or better than the effects produced by drug medications for a spectrum of mental disorders without the potential for harmful side effects commonly associated with drugs.