in our paper published today in BMC Psychology, Keith Geraghty and I write of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) malpractice with MUS clients , see link https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-020-0380-2
A series of seven core problems and failings are identified, including:
- an unproven treatment rationale
- a weak and contested evidence-base
- biases in treatment promotion
- exaggeration of recovery claims
- under-reporting of drop-out rates
- a significant risk of misdiagnosis
- inappropriate treatment.
We concluded that:
There is a pressing need for independent oversight of this service, specifically evaluation of service performance and methods used to collect and report treatment outcomes. This service offers uniform psycho-behavioural therapy that may not meet the needs of many patients with medically unexplained health complaints. Psychotherapy should not become a default when patients’ physical symptoms remain unexplained, and patients should be fully informed of the rationale behind psychotherapy, before agreeing to take part. Patients who reject psychotherapy or do not meet selection criteria should be offered appropriate medical and psychological support.
Dr Mike Scott