Doctors have known about the side effects of drugs for a long time. But evidence of the possible negative impact of psychotherapy was obtained only a few months ago.
Antibiotics kill not only harmful, but also beneficial bacteria, destroying, for example, the intestinal microflora. Anti-allergy drugs often cause increased drowsiness and apathy. There is no need to talk about the harsh effect of chemotherapy on the body. We are accustomed to the fact that treatment can bring not only benefits, but also some harm that we have to put up with. However, until recently, psychotherapy was regarded rather as a happy exception. Unfortunately, it is time to part with this belief.
Psychologists at Imperial College London, led by Professor Mike Crawford, undertook a large-scale survey of patients undergoing or just undergoing psychotherapy1. 14587 people took part in it. And 5,2% of those surveyed reported «long-term negative effects» that they considered a direct consequence of the therapy. The figure, of course, is not too large, but it is impossible to write it off as a statistical error. And it should be recognized that psychotherapy also has a downside.
Mike Crawford himself sees nothing surprising in this. “Psychotherapy helps a lot of people. It works and, therefore, affects the body in a certain way. But if so, why do we believe that this impact in all cases without exception should be only positive? — he commented on the results of the study portal Quartz2. The scientist also added that patients should also be aware of the possible risks when deciding to go to a psychotherapist. And therefore, new data in any case should be considered useful and important.
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Mike Crawford and his colleagues cannot yet explain the reasons for the negative impact of psychotherapy. This is difficult to do, primarily because the conclusions of the study are based on the subjective assessments of the patients themselves. As, however, almost any system for assessing the psychological state of a person. But it is even more difficult to explain one very characteristic circumstance discovered in the course of the study. The negative effects of psychotherapy were reported much more frequently by members of racial and ethnic minorities and «people whose orientation is not heterosexual.»
Mike Crawford suggests that this may be due to the marginalization of ethnic and sexual minorities — their representatives are acutely aware of their own otherness, the impossibility of being included in the dominant social groups. This state of affairs cannot but leave an imprint on the psyche. And even the offer of psychological help can be perceived by representatives of minorities as fraught with some kind of catch and not necessarily useful. This circumstance should certainly be taken into account in their work by psychotherapists, Mike Crawford is sure.
1 MJ Crawford et al. «Patient experience of negative effects of psychological treatment: results of a national survey». Online publication on the website of the British Journal of Psychiatry from 01.03.2016.
2 qz.com