1. Sean Hoel
Lindenwood University

2. 

The number of patients in outpatient mental
health facilities receiving psychotherapy has
dropped by 34% while the number receiving
medication has increased by 23% (Gaudiano,
2013).
The estimated number of Americans
receiving outpatient mental health treatment
increased from approximately 16.1 million in
1998 to 23.3 million in 2007. (Olfson &
Marcus, 2010)

3. 

There were significant declines in the
percentages of mental health outpatients
who were treated with psychotherapy alone
and of those treated with a combination of
psychotherapy and psychotropic medication.
Across all mental health outpatients, there
was a significant increase in the percentage
who received psychotropic medication
without psychotherapy. (Olfson & Marcus,
2010)

4. The average effect size for psychotherapy was
0.85, indicating that treated patients were
better off than 80% of untreated control
subjects.” (Joyce et al., 2006)
 The high response (70%) and remission rates
(49%) and the low relapse rates (13% in a 12month period) may reflect the high intensity of
the multicomponent treatment program
(Schramm, Dietrich, Dykierek, Lieb, & al, e.,
2007)


5. More people are seeking mental help than ever
More people are receiving antidepressant drugs
than ever
 Medication is NOT the most effective treatment
for psychopathology
 Medication in combination with psychotherapy
IS the most effective treatment
 Why is this not the most prevalent type of
treatment then?



6. 



The problem resides in the failure to
recognize and use evidence-based methods
Failure to abandon older Freudian techniques
Lack of exposure that psychotherapy has to
the public
There is not “Big Therapy” to counteract the
“Big Pharm”

7. 

Medications have better marketed evidence,
meaning their empirical findings are much
more easily available to the general public
than psychotherapeutic results
Transfers directly to more reliable insurance
coverage, which in turn translates into more
prescriptions and less psychotherapy
referrals

8. 

Many therapists do not use the empirically
supported methods of psychotherapy; use
outlandish old-fashioned Freudian methods
that should be abandoned in this era
No equivalence between American
Psychiatric Association and American
Psychological Association

9. 






Consistent practice amongst peers in the field
Financial support and marketing
Organization equivalence between APAs
Make information easily accessible to public
Financial incentives (insurance coverage)
Powerful endorsement like FDA
Continue to empirically prove that it is an
effective method

10. 



Guadiano, Brandon. (2013). Psychotherapy’s image problem. New York
Times. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/30/opinion/psychotherapys-imageproblem.html?src=me&ref=general&_r=0
Joyce, A. S., Wolfaardt, U., Sribney, C., & Aylwin, A. S. (2006).
Psychotherapy research at the start of the 21st century: The persistence
of the art versus science controversy. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry,
51(13), 797-809. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/222797971?accountid=12104
Olfson, Mark,M.D., M.P.H., & Marcus, S. C., PhD. (2010). National trends
in outpatient psychotherapy.The American Journal of Psychiatry, 167(12),
1456-63. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/816090016?accountid=12104
Schramm, E., Dietrich, v. C., Dykierek, P., Lieb, K., & al, e. (2007). An
intensive treatment program of interpersonal psychotherapy plus
pharmacotherapy for depressed inpatients: Acute and long-term results.
The American Journal of Psychiatry, 164(5), 768-77. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/220475472?accountid=12104