Mostly harmless? Clinical practice guidelines need further consideration of psychotherapy adverse effects

Abstract

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines on mood disorders recommend psychotherapy as foundational care for patients with acute depression with minimal discussion of any potential adverse effects. Randomised controlled trial evidence on psychotherapy adverse effects is limited. This is problematic because clinicians must balance the benefits of treatment against the harms, and clinical decisions become skewed without data on adverse effects. We suggest that clinical practice guidelines should be more guarded about recommending psychotherapy and add consensus statements on adverse effects for informed consent and clinical decision-making.