Researchers say you might as well be your own therapist

a post by Olivia Goldhill in Quartz with grateful thanks to 3 Quarks Daily


Self-help really can help (AP Photo/Bob Wands)

Seeking out the perfect therapist can feel as significant and difficult as finding a romantic partner. A study on the effectiveness of trained therapists versus self-help treatment, though, suggests that therapists are not as important as they seem.

A meta-analyses of 15 studies, published in this month’s volume of Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, found no significant difference in the treatment outcomes for patients who saw a therapist and those who followed a self-help book or online program.

The researchers, led by Robert King, psychology professor at Queensland University of Technology in Australia, evaluated the outcomes of 723 patients who were treated for a variety of mental health conditions, including anxiety, PTSD, OCD, and depression.

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Of course in the UK you get what you are given (or not as the case might be) unless you are willing and able to pay but the ideas here may help when waiting for help. H.