Yet another study indicating the value of psychotherapy in comparison to medication: As effective in the short-term, more effective in the long term. And, of course, no side effects. So, why is psychotherapy so poorly reimbursed by insurance companies and generally ignored by psychiatry? The average reimbursement for psychotherapy has decreased since 1985, not in relative terms but in actual dollars. Do you know any other profession that makes less than it did in 1985? You? Your plumber? Your mechanic? Your physician? I didn't think so! Insurance companies maximize profit - that's their objective. Psychiatry has abandoned psychotherapy for one reason - you can make a hell of a lot more money in four fifteen minute prescription sessions than in a single one hour psychotherapy session. See the second link, below. The reality is that psychiatrists don't get much training in psychotherapy any more because the emphasis is medicate, medicate, medicate. So, why is this important to anyone but psychologists and other psychotherapists? For a couple of reasons, I think. One is scientific and one is social. To shift people away from proven, effective treatment is to deny patients the most efficacious treatment in the long run. The social reason is more insidious. There's an old saying that when the only tool you have is a hammer, everything begins to look like a nail. When the only treatment you are willing to employ is medication, everything - every human emotion, behavior, problem, difficulty - becomes a disease. Hence, the epidemic of various diagnoses I've alluded to elsewhere on this blog. Telling people that their problems are all diseases and what they really need is the latest heavily advertised drug is disempowering and disenfranchising. People are taught and then believe that they have little influence and power over how they feel, act, and relate - it's "my bipolar," "my depression," "my anxiety," etc., making me feel or act this way. This ignores the science and defeats the spirit, creating an even greater need for more medication. And we wonder why health care costs are spiraling out of control!
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