Sorry, I’m convinced meta analyses are garbage written by the least capable academics. They create yet another “study” that supports X or Y position without testing anything at all–that outsiders use to further an X or Y agenda. More meta-studies based off other meta-studies! It’s mountains of useless bullshit.
For example, a more recent meta-analysis by Wykes and colleagues (2008) examined controlled trials of CBT for schizophrenia and confirmed findings from previous meta-analyses (e.g., Gould et al., 2001; Rector & Beck, 2001), suggesting that CBT had a small to medium effect size as compared to control conditions on both positive and negative symptoms.
How brain-rotted do you have to be to think this says anything? “We reread the articles and they still say the same thing… because… they’re written.” Maybe we should perform another meta-analysis on the same articles! Third time’s the charm!
The underlying papers are of no use at all:
CBT for depression was more effective than control conditions such as waiting list or no treatment
Like holy shit, really? This is your foundation of evidence that CBT works? Just look at the proponents of CBT–it’s a magical, effective treatment for everything under the sun! I can’t take it seriously, especially when it’s pushed as being as effective as medications.
I had some blood work done and it indicated that I would likely have a negative or poor response to an antidepressant I’d been taking for nearly a year. I’d tell the doctors that it does absolutely nothing, but they kept increasing the dose and insisted it would do something positive. It never did. These are the same disinterested, bullshit doctors that would tell you to engage in CBT.
All the therapists would gaslight you into believing it’s all your fault: just think your way out of it. Fucking bullshit. Absolute puerile bullshit.
The reality is I suffer from something that has a genetic component to it: crippling depression that runs in the maternal family. No. Talk therapy doesn’t do shit. No. CBT doesn’t do shit. Appropriate drugs actually work and I’m now in a so much better place after living my whole life with crippling depression, anxiety and panic attacks. I finally feel able to live a normal life. Do you know how much money and time I’ve wasted on talk-therapists? They’re not doctors. They’re complete time-wasters. They should be banned as I’m convinced they perpetuate harm.
Even proponents of talk-therapy have that fundamental caveat that absolves them of everything: it could take years before you see any results. It’s all con-artists selling snake-oil. Psychology is such a bull shit field.
I’ll get back to you, probably over the weekend.