Biological v. psychosocial treatments: a myth about pharmacotherapy v. psychotherapy

Br J Psychiatry. 2016 Apr;208(4):309-11. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.115.178368.

Abstract

Despite evidence for their comparable efficacy, psychotherapy faces a dramatic decline relative to pharmacotherapy in psychiatry. A deep ideological reason for this decline centres on the belief that psychotherapy is a psychosocial treatment whereas pharmacotherapy is a biological treatment. Modern cognitive neuroscience demonstrates that this distinction is a myth.

Publication types

  • Editorial

MeSH terms

  • Drug Therapy / trends*
  • Humans
  • Mental Disorders / drug therapy
  • Mental Disorders / psychology*
  • Mental Disorders / therapy*
  • Psychotherapy / trends*
  • United States