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Andrea G.'s picture

Individualizing treatment

Hi Emily,

I think one of the great things about CBT is that it can account for individual differences so well.  There are only so many different doses or variations on drugs that a psychiatrist can prescribe for treatment, but CBT is tailored to the individual.  This still doesn't mean that it works for everyone; the studies show this very clearly, and just thinking about it abstractly, it's easy to see that a treatment that requires so much self-motivation and individual effort would be more effective for certain types of people.

 Also, I'm wondering about your characterization of CBT as something you must recognize you have a disorder to undergo.  I definitely agree with your statement, but I'm wondering why that's any different from getting a prescription and taking it.  In going to a doctor for treatment, aren't you also acknowledging that you need some kind of help?  You may not have a clinical diagnosis, but you've certainly admitted to yourself and to your doctor that something isn't right.  In that respect, I think both treatment approaches are more similar than we might have thought.

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