Re:Calling for a new approach to depression
by jdietrich on Sunday January 07, 2018 @11:01PM
(#16094553)
> Different psychotherapies do not differ in efficacy on average. The superiority of cognitive-behavioral therapy, etc. is a myth.
Slight nitpick: CBT has a much larger and more reliable body of evidence than most other therapies. It's probably no more effective than other therapies, but it is very cost-effective, mainly because of the short duration of treatment. There is some evidence to suggest that self-guided or internet-delivered CBT may be as effective as traditional CBT delivered by a trained clinical psychologist, which would be a huge win in terms of cost and availability.
On a personal level, I'd recommend trying a wide range of psychotherapies if you can afford it. On a societal level, I endorse mass adoption of CBT. It's not necessarily the best therapy, but it's the easiest to deliver at scale. Access to treatment is the issue right now, especially in lower-income countries.
Slight nitpick: CBT has a much larger and more reliable body of evidence than most other therapies. It's probably no more effective than other therapies, but it is very cost-effective, mainly because of the short duration of treatment. There is some evidence to suggest that self-guided or internet-delivered CBT may be as effective as traditional CBT delivered by a trained clinical psychologist, which would be a huge win in terms of cost and availability.
On a personal level, I'd recommend trying a wide range of psychotherapies if you can afford it. On a societal level, I endorse mass adoption of CBT. It's not necessarily the best therapy, but it's the easiest to deliver at scale. Access to treatment is the issue right now, especially in lower-income countries.