How do experiences of psychiatric care affect the perceived credibility of different forms of psychotherapy?

The study examined the influence of experience with psychiatric treatment on the perceived credibility of psychodynamic (PDT), cognitive (CT) and cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy (CBT).

Written descriptions of the three forms of psychotherapy were rated by three groups of subjects with different levels of experience of psychiatric treatment, a random community sample with the normal level of psychiatric treatment (N=121), psychiatric out-patients with limited previous experience of psychiatric care (N=118), and a group of psychiatric veterans with long experience of psychiatric care (N=48).

Besides a significant main effect of psychotherapy form on credibility, the interaction between psychotherapy form and level of previous experience of psychiatric care was highly significant. When respondents ranked the three forms of psychotherapy, there was an overrepresentation of preferences for CBT (and 'don't know' responses) among the general public, whereas the two patient samples were less indecisive and more often preferred PDT and, in particular, CT.

Different forms of psychotherapy appear to have their own market segments, the size of which varies depending on previous experiences of psychological distress and psychiatric treatment.