Psychotherapy Myths: Therapy Can ’ t Treat Serious Mental Illness

There’s misperception among some people today that psychotherapy isn’t effective for serious mental illness and therefore can’t be used to treat it. A person might say, “Well, I have severe depression and have tried therapy on multiple occasions, with little effect.” Lived experience is an important thing to take into consideration when choosing a treatment option. However, I believe it’s equally important to examine the research too, to see what science has to say to such questions. Can psychotherapy be used to treat serious mental illness, including clinical depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)? Let’s find out. Through research studies, this article examines the effectiveness of psychotherapy for clinical depression and OCD. While acknowledging that everyone’s experience with treatment is different, only scientific research can answer questions about what treatment holds the best hope for most people with a given condition. It cannot tell us, however, whether a specific treatment will work for you, individually (no medical or psychological research can do that). Psychotherapy Is Effective for Severe Depression Let’s start by looking at psychotherapy’s effectiveness in the treatment of clinical depression. Psychologists have long recognized that a wide variety of psychotherapies can be as effective — and in some cases, more effective — than antidepressant medications. The latest meta-analys...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: General Medications Mental Health and Wellness Psychotherapy Research Treatment efficacy of psychotherapy OCD treatment psychotherapy efficacy therapy for depression therapy for OCD Treatment For Depression Source Type: blogs