The efficiency of long-term psychotherapy

Long-term psychotherapy has been evaluated by a Health Council Committee as part of the analysis of the cost-effectiveness of medical services (the so-called “126 list”).

Research into the efficacy of long-term psychotherapy is scarce. Detailed investigations have, however, been carried out to determine whether forms of psychotherapy with a limited duration are efficacious, i.e. whether they have a therapeutic effect in an experimental setting. As a rule, this requires controlled research, which usually means that after randomization the treated group of patients are compared with a group of patients who have either received no treatment at all or else a different treatment. Because our knowledge about the natural course of psychiatric conditions is frequently inadequate, it is not usually possible to formulate any definitive conclusions with regard to the results of uncontrolled research.