ABSTRACT
Drug treatments are useful in the containment of some symptoms in mental health problems and are particularly bene®cial to clients with severe and recurrent problems such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, recurrent depression and chronic anxiety problems. Medication has been found to be bene®cial in relieving symptoms of emotional disorders and in improving the concentration, memory and mood of clients, whereas CBT has been established as the treatment of choice for a range of mental health problems because it is cost-effective, has a low dropout and relapse rate in comparison to other forms of psychotherapy and drug treatment (Roth and Fonagy 2005; National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, available online at www.nice.org.uk). Drug treatments and CBT are usually seen as an effective combination in the treatment of mental health problems, with drugs being used to stabilise or lift the mood in order for the client to learn to develop effective personal coping resources or strategies through CBT. There is a suggestion or recommendation that `talking therapy', and CBT in particular, should be offered to clients in the ®rst instance.
