Focus 1: The anxiety and depression Consensus Conference: a critical look
6 September 2023
Vol. 34 No. 2 (2023)
https://doi.org/10.4081/rp.2023.797

Commentary on the Consensus Conference’s final document on psychological therapies for anxiety and depression. What is the scientific evidence?

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Psychotherapy, consensus conference, anxiety, depression, RCT
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Gianluca Lo Coco
gianluca.lococo@unipa.it
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9027-1899
University of Palermo, Italy.

This commentary aims to highlight pros and cons of the evidence-based approach to psychotherapy research. Although the relevance of scientific evidence to the development of guidelines for psychological treatments, there are still some barriers to translate research results into routine clinical practice. The challenges are especially linked to the adoption of randomized controlled trials (RCT), which are not well suited to examine non-manualized psychotherapies and to test the effectiveness of treatments for patients with complex psychopathologies. Moreover, meta-analytic studies on the treatment for anxiety and depression showed that the quality of evidence of RCTs is limited, and recommending firm conclusions is still challenging. It is suggested that both psychotherapy research and evidence-based guidelines to psychological therapies should move towards personalizing treatments for anxiety and depression.

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Commentary on the Consensus Conference’s final document on psychological therapies for anxiety and depression. What is the scientific evidence?. (2023). Ricerca Psicoanalitica, 34(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/rp.2023.797
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