MIND: Pioneering study shows talk therapy works

As Woody Allen fans know, psychology comes in many flavors. Those considering a little psychic help would do well to find the style that best fits their needs. Two main styles are cognitive behavioural therapy, which focuses more on behaviour patterns, and psychodynamic therapy, which probes and analyzes past history and underlying reasons for symptoms.

A new study shows the effectiveness of psychodynamic, or talk, therapy when used for panic disorder, a common form of anxiety. The study is a landmark for psychodynamic therapy as it provides the elusive and much-needed quanitative evidence that it works. Cognitve behavioral therapy has grown increasingly popular in recent practice because many of the techniques are evidence-based. Psychodynamic therapy, during which the patient and practioner engage in dialogue over months to years, has grown less popular because there is little clinical evidence to prove it's effectiveness apart from self-report. As a result it has fallen out of favor with insurance companies and institutional settings. The new study could signal a revival in popularity for talk therapy. (CN)