Hawaii Psychological Association

Finding Help

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Hawaii Psychological Association > Finding Help

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What does research show about the
     effectiveness of psychotherapy?

      Therapy effectively decreases patients' depression, anxiety and related symptoms - such as pain, fatigue and nausea. Psychotherapy also has been found to increase survival time for heart surgery and cancer patients, and it can have a positive effect on the body's immune system. Research increasingly supports the idea that emotional and physical health are very closely linked and that therapy can improve a person's overall health status.

      Most people who have at least several sessions of psychotherapy are far better off than untreated individuals with emotional difficulties. One major study showed that 50 percent of patients noticeably improved after eight sessions while 75 percent of individuals in therapy improved by the end of six months.

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