Empirically Supported Individual and Group Psychological Treatments for Adult Mental Disorders

The experimental literature on individual and group psychological treatments for adult disorders is reviewed. For each of the 11 disorders or problems covered, treatments that fall into the following categories, as defined by D.L. Chambless and S. D. Hollon (1998), are identified: efficacious and specific, efficacious, and possibly efficacious. Behavioral and cognitive-behavioral treatments dominate the lists, especially in the anxiety disorders, with notable exceptions. Reasons for the hegemony of the behavioral and cognitive modalities are discussed, and some limitations of the empirically supported treatment concept are addressed. Continued research is recommended on Aptitude x Treatment interactions, cost-benefit ratios, and generalization of treatments to a variety of patient populations, therapists, and treatment settings.