RESEARCH
What problems/disorders can be treated effectively with CBT?
CBT has been assessed in a large number of research studies over the last 35 years and has been shown to be effective for a wide range of emotional and physical health conditions. Based on the positive findings provided by these studies, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) www.nice.org.uk currently recommends CBT as the treatment of choice for:
- depression
- panic disorder
- obsessive compulsive disorder
- generalised anxiety disorder
- social anxiety disorder
- post traumatic stress disorder
There is also some good evidence that CBT is a helpful approach for a number of other conditions, including:
- anger management
- chronic pain
- irritable bowel syndrome
- chronic fatigue
- physical symptoms without a medical diagnosis
- low self-esteem
- relationship difficulties
What type of research gives us reliable evidence on the effectiveness of CBT?
The best quality research evidence is based on the findings from systematic reviews. Systematic reviews summarise and analyse the pooled data from all available randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that have examined a specified health care intervention for a specified physical or psychological condition.
Systematic reviews are produced by the Cochrane Collaboration www.cochrane.org, which is an international organisation dedicated to producing up to date systematic reviews of the best evidence available on medical and psychological interventions in healthcare. Cochrane reviews are published in The Cochrane Library thecochranelibrary.com, which is an online publication.
Cochrane reviews have assessed the evidence for CBT and other psychological therapy approaches, such as psychodynamic, humanistic and integrative therapies, in the treatment of PTSD, generalised anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, depression, insomnia, eating disorders, chronic fatigue and post-natal depression. Summaries of these reviews are freely available on summaries.cochrane.org/