The two primary outpatient forms of mental health treatment are psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy — or therapy and medication management. Psychiatrists may prescribe one or the other, or they may recommend both to be used concurrently. However, patients may also make suggestions if they’re interested in trying therapy or medication for their mental health treatments.
This leads to the question, which is the most effective? Therapy? Medication? Or is it some combination of both? Let’s dive into your options as well as what science says about the effectiveness of both.
What Is Psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is a mental health treatment in which patients work with a therapist — whether one-on-one or in a group setting — to process and understand their mental health, as well as make plans to achieve their goals and cope with their mental health symptoms. There are a number of different modalities of therapy, including:
- Supportive therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
- Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
- Trauma Therapy
- Exposure Therapy
For patients who are not interested in taking medication for their mental health symptoms, or who are unable to do so, psychotherapy can help them to reduce symptoms and gain useful coping skills. But psychotherapy can also be done alongside medication management, providing practical skills where the medication handles the chemical side of mental illness. Psychotherapy can last for a period of months or years depending on the type of therapy.
How Effective Is Psychotherapy?
What Is Pharmacotherapy?
Pharmacotherapy utilizes prescription medication to reduce symptoms of mental illness. One common example is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), frequently prescribed for anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). SSRIs increase the production of serotonin in the brain in order to elevate the mood and reduce feelings of depression and anxiety. Other forms of pharmacotherapy work in similar fashions, addressing the chemical imbalance that could cause or exacerbate your mental health symptoms.
In pharmacotherapy, you will meet with a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner. They will prescribe your medication and dosage and then meet with you periodically — typically every month or every three months — to discuss your symptoms and reassess whether you should continue on that medication or dosage.
How Effective Is Pharmacotherapy?
It’s important to keep in mind that medications will not completely erase your mental illness symptoms or “cure” you. They may, however, make them more manageable so that you can better regulate your mood and go about your day with fewer disruptions. It has been found to be roughly as effective as psychotherapy, though slightly more effective for some conditions — such as dysthymia — and slightly less effective for conditions such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).3
How Effective Are Psychotherapy and Pharmacotherapy Combined?
Studies have found that while pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy are both effective on their own, they are notably more effective when prescribed in conjunction.4 The combination of treatments has resulted in an improvement of quality of life in conditions such as depression. Ultimately, effectiveness may vary from patient to patient. Some may prefer one treatment over the other, or they may prefer both together. However, it is helpful to have both options available given the amount of research that points to combined effectiveness.
Natasha Bowman Weighs In On Her Experience
Author, attorney, and mental health advocate Natasha Bowman recently posted a YouTube video in which she discussed her experience with bipolar disorder and mental health treatment during the pandemic.
One benefit that Rivia Mind has, she stated, is the combination of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. Rather than short 15-minute appointments to discuss medication, she loves that Rivia Mind provides provides psychotherapy, which made a big difference in her case.
“They would support my full care,” she explained, “not just prescribe and meet with me for fifteen minutes once a month for a refill, but actually talk with me and understand my unique needs that went beyond my bipolar disorder diagnosis.”5
Rivia Mind’s skilled and compassionate clinicians are dedicated to offering both psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy, as well as a combination of the two, so that patients can find the right option for them. Contact us today to learn more or to find a provider to begin your mental wellness journey.
Resources:
- Psychotherapy – Psychiatry.org
- Is psychotherapy effective? A re-analysis of treatments of depression – Epidemiol Psychiatric Science
- The efficacy of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy in treating depressive and anxiety disorders: a meta analysis of direct comparisons – Pim Cuijpers, Marit Sijbrandij, Sander L. Koole, Gerhard Andersson, Aartjan T. Beekman, Charles F. Reynolds III
- The efficacy of psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, and their combination on functioning and quality of life in depression: a meta-analysis – K. Kamenov, C. Twomey, M. Cabello, A. M. Prina, and J. L. Ayuso-Mateos
- Rivia Mind Alt Ending – Natasha Bowman on YouTube
