Experts Warn Of Myths Behind Treatment Favoured By = Celebrities (from The Herald )

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Experts warn of =91myths=92 behind = treatment favoured=20 by celebrities

= = Comment=20 | Read = Comments (5)

CHRIS WATT

It has been hailed as the cutting edge of psychology for more = than 50=20 years, with celebrity patients ranging from JK Rowling and Davina = McCall=20 to Donny Osmond and Shirley Conran.

But the idea that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is more = effective=20 than other treatments may be nothing more than "a myth", experts = said=20 yesterday.

Since its inception in the 1950s, CBT - a therapy that = encourages=20 patients to control and reject negative thoughts before they cause = depression or anxiety - has been the focus of a sizeable = proportion of=20 mental health study.

Researchers from Strathclyde University have now warned that = this focus=20 may be "irresponsible" and misguided.

The research team said there was a danger that, because more = work was=20 being done on CBT than in other fields, people would come to = regard it as=20 a panacea for their problems, leaving potentially more valuable = treatments=20 underfunded and not researched.

Professors Mick Cooper and Robert Elliott from Strathclyde = University,=20 along with American colleagues William B Styles and Art Bohart, = said: "The=20 government, the public and even many health officials have been = sold a=20 version of the scientific evidence that is not based in fact.

"This is how it works: one, more academic researchers subscribe = to a=20 CBT approach than any other; two, these researchers get more = research=20 grants and publish more studies on the effectiveness of CBT; = three, this=20 greater number of studies is used to imply that CBT is more = effective.

"Although CBT advocates rarely make this claim so boldly, their = continual emphasis on the amount of evidence is misunderstood by = the=20 public, other health care workers, and government officials, a=20 misunderstanding that they allow to stand without correction.

"The result is a widespread belief that no-one takes = responsibility=20 for. In other words, a myth."

The experts said the belief has "direct negative consequences = for other=20 well-developed psychotherapies, such as person-centred and = psychodynamics,=20 which have smaller evidence bases than CBT".

Speaking after the team made their presentation at a conference = in East=20 Anglia, Mr Cooper said that CBT's popularity with analysts was=20 understandable, but could mislead the public and raise the = expectations of=20 vulnerable people.

The researchers said that studies have suggested it is not the = therapy=20 chosen but the patient's level of motivation, participation and = ability=20 that makes a difference.

The comments came as the Scottish Government considers the = future of=20 mental health work in Scotland.

In recent years =A3173m has been invested in training CBT = therapists=20 south of the border and the researchers fear that this could lead = health=20 chiefs to perceive CBT as the only legitimate option for = development in=20 Scotland.

Mr Cooper said: "We think it's wonderful that money's being = invested in=20 therapy, and CBT is certainly helpful for some people.

"But what we'd like in Scotland is a range of different = therapies=20 introduced for people with different psychological = needs."

= = Add=20 Comment

Posted by: Samoyed, = Costa del=20 Menie on 4:30am Mon 7 Jul 08

Cooper and Elliot are a = cheeky pair.=20 To call CBT getting more attention from experts and more support = from the=20 Money Man "irresponsable and misguided, plus a version of the = scientific=20 evidence that is not based in fact" is the real bias. There is no = mention=20 in the article about the kind of work this two "reaseachers" do = when not=20 be-meoaning CBT, but I would not be very surprised if it happens = to be=20 psycho-analysis of the Freudian school. The only truth they = mention is the=20 very obvious one: is not the therapy chosen but the patient's = level of=20 motivation, participation and ability that makes a difference. = Don't you=20 worry about what Health Chiefs perceive as legitimate, Cooper = &=20 Elliot, but do about the level of support you two are going to = have in the=20 future. And that's a promise.

Cooper and Elliot = are a cheeky=20 pair. To call CBT getting more attention from experts and more = support=20 from the Money Man "irresponsable and misguided, plus a version of = the=20 scientific evidence that is not based in fact" is the real bias.=20

There is no mention in the article about the kind of work = this two=20 "reaseachers" do when not be-meoaning CBT, but I would not be very = surprised if it happens to be psycho-analysis of the Freudian=20 school.

The only truth they mention is the very obvious = one: is not=20 the therapy chosen but the patient's level of motivation, = participation=20 and ability that makes a difference.

Don't you worry about = what=20 Health Chiefs perceive as legitimate, Cooper & Elliot, but do = about=20 the level of support you two are going to have in the future. And = that's a=20 promise.

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Posted by: Carnwarth = on 8:14am Mon 7 Jul 08

Do Strathclyde Uni or = Styles and Art=20 receive any funding from pharmaceutical companies?

Do Strathclyde = Uni or Styles=20 and Art receive any funding from pharmaceutical companies?

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Posted by: Gareth = Wardell,=20 EdinburghNewTown on 12:31pm Mon 7 Jul 08

Perhaps patients could do = a couple of=20 Scientology courses instead. I hear that really works! Only = joking.

Perhaps patients = could do a=20 couple of Scientology courses instead. I hear that really=20 works!

Only joking.

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Posted by: Smiffy, = Somerset on=20 7:55pm Mon 7 Jul 08

I've no idea whether CBT = works=20 successfully for psychiatric disorders or not. I do know that it, = along=20 with graded exercise, are the only 'therapies' available on the = NHS for=20 the neurological illness myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.), despite = the=20 fact that M.E. has been proven beyond any doubt to be a physical = illness.=20 M.E. sufferers are bullied and coerced into attending clinics that = practise CBT. Horrifyingly, the clinics' patients have many = different=20 illnesses that cause fatigue, including depression, herded = together under=20 the vague umbrella term 'chronic fatigue'. The patients are not = tested to=20 see what they really do have (some have later been found to have = cancer).=20 Some severely affected M.E. patients have been sectioned under the = mental=20 health act and forced to do CBT to the detriment of their health . = Parents=20 of children who have M.E. have been threatened with having their = children=20 taken into care if they do not attend these inappropriate clinics. = For=20 M.E., CBT is a complete waste of money that would be better spent = on=20 biomedical research (none of which has ever been funded by the = government)=20 and on physical treatments such as antivirals. Based on evidence = submitted=20 by M.E. patients themselves, the chief medical officer reported = that CBT=20 produced "no change" in 67% of cases and actually made the = patients'=20 condition "worse" in 26% of cases. In addition, around half of the = patients reported that inappropriate exercise therapy had also = made their=20 condition worse. M.E. has been classified as a neurological = illness of=20 viral origin by the World Health Organisation since 1969; it is = not a=20 mental illness. The fact that the government is insisting on the = use of=20 CBT instead of proper biomedical testing and treatment is a = national=20 scandal. It happens with no other neurological illness.

I've no idea = whether CBT works=20 successfully for psychiatric disorders or not. I do know that it, = along=20 with graded exercise, are the only 'therapies' available on the = NHS for=20 the neurological illness myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.), despite = the=20 fact that M.E. has been proven beyond any doubt to be a physical = illness.=20 M.E. sufferers are bullied and coerced into attending clinics that = practise CBT. Horrifyingly, the clinics' patients have many = different=20 illnesses that cause fatigue, including depression, herded = together under=20 the vague umbrella term 'chronic fatigue'. The patients are not = tested to=20 see what they really do have (some have later been found to have = cancer).=20 Some severely affected M.E. patients have been sectioned under the = mental=20 health act and forced to do CBT to the detriment of their health . = Parents=20 of children who have M.E. have been threatened with having their = children=20 taken into care if they do not attend these inappropriate clinics. = For=20 M.E., CBT is a complete waste of money that would be better spent = on=20 biomedical research (none of which has ever been funded by the = government)=20 and on physical treatments such as antivirals. Based on evidence = submitted=20 by M.E. patients themselves, the chief medical officer reported = that CBT=20 produced "no change" in 67% of cases and actually made the = patients'=20 condition "worse" in 26% of cases. In addition, around half of the = patients reported that inappropriate exercise therapy had also = made their=20 condition worse. M.E. has been classified as a neurological = illness of=20 viral origin by the World Health Organisation since 1969; it is = not a=20 mental illness. The fact that the government is insisting on the = use of=20 CBT instead of proper biomedical testing and treatment is a = national=20 scandal. It happens with no other neurological illness. =

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Posted by: Cat, = Glasgow on 11:46am Tue 8 Jul 08

Professors Cooper and = Elliot state=20 that "more academic researchers subscribe to a CBT approach". = Firstly I'd=20 wonder why that was, and secondly this surely presents a simple = solution=20 for these academics who subscribe to a counselling approach, = namely to=20 carry out some scientifically validated research into counselling? = Or is=20 this just common sense and not getting to the deep seated nature = of the=20 problem like a counselling approach can?

Professors Cooper = and Elliot=20 state that "more academic researchers subscribe to a CBT = approach".=20 Firstly I'd wonder why that was, and secondly this surely presents = a=20 simple solution for these academics who subscribe to a counselling = approach, namely to carry out some scientifically validated = research into=20 counselling? Or is this just common sense and not getting to the = deep=20 seated nature of the problem like a counselling approach = can?

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