Glossary // Glossary term Clinical
Cognitive behavioural therapy
A family of structured, time-limited psychotherapies that target the interplay of thoughts, emotions and behaviour, using methods such as cognitive restructuring, behavioural activation and exposure. A meta-analysis of 144 randomised trials found large effects for depression and several anxiety disorders against control conditions, but smaller effects after adjusting for publication bias, few high-quality trials, and small to moderate effects when compared with care as usual or pill placebo rather than waiting lists. It is one well-tested option, not the only effective one. What clinical psychology learned about emotional release: emotional processing theory and exposure, the Cochrane evidence against single-session psychological debriefing, and meta-analyses of regulation strategies across psychopathology. The works the definition rests on, with the level of evidence each was appraised at. (2016). How effective are cognitive behavior therapies for major depression and anxiety disorders? A meta-analytic update of the evidence. doi:10.1002/wps.20346 Supports the claims that CBT effects were large against control conditions (g = 0.75 to 0.88), smaller after adjustment for publication bias, and small to moderate against care as usual or pill placebo. Only 17.4% of trials were rated high quality, and most anxiety trials used waiting-list controls.Where the site uses it
Studies behind it