Is Long-Term Psychotherapy Effective?

Whether long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (LTPP) has value is controversial, and its high cost has precluded its coverage by many health insurance plans. Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP), as well as cognitive-behavioral therapy, is effective for a wide range of mild-to-moderate mental illnesses and for acute psychological distress. Researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 29 articles (published since 1960) on 23 randomized controlled trials or observational studies (total patients, 1053), in which LTPP was provided for at least 1 year or 50 sessions (median number of sessions, 74; median treatment duration, 69 weeks).

All studies showed significant improvement in pre- and post-treatment comparisons of mental state. In eight …