ABSTRACT
This chapter uses scientific and clinical evidence to develop a reasoned case for the use of psychoanalytic psychotherapy. The misperception of inefficacy regarding psychoanalysis in comparison to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and antidepressant medications is increasingly being reported. Meta-analyses integrate data from multiple individual studies using statistical methods. A major re-analysis was done by several researchers after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released its full body of data regarding anti-depressants in 2008. Similar to anti-depressants, CBT has an evidence base that is supportive of its use in a number of mental health disorders and has generated meaningful end-of-study effect sizes. The Cochrane Library is a large, independent group of researchers and professionals dedicated to evidence-based decision-making in medicine. They publish reviews in all areas of medicine. In 2004, they did a meta-analysis of psychoanalytic therapy evaluating 26 different studies. Psychoanalytic therapy has a clear-documented evidence base that shows effectiveness on a par with or better than comparable treatments.
