CBT evaluation

Effective: 

March et al compared the effects of CBT with antidepressant drugs and a combination of the two in 327 adolescents with a main diagnosis of depression. After 36 weeks, 86% of the CBT group, 81% of the antidepressants group and 86% of the CBT + antidepressant group were all significantly improved. CBT = just as effective as medication + helpful alongside it - suggesting CBT is the first choice of treatment. 

CBT may not work for severe cases: 

Some patients might not be able to motivate themselves to engage with the hard cognitive work of CBT or may not be able to pay attention to what’s happening in the session. Therefore, CBT can’t be used for all cases of depression 

Success may be due to the patient-therapist relationship: 

Rosenzweig suggested that the differences between different methods of psychotherapy, (i.e CBT + systematic desensitisation, might actually be small.)The quality of the patient-therapist relationship may determine the success rather than any particular technique that might be used. Luborsky et al found evidence to support this.