Psychiatric Bulletin (2000) 24: 314. doi: 10.1192/pb.24.8.314-a
© 2000 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Psychiatric Bulletin (2000) 24: 314
© 2000 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Cognitive-analytical therapy a most suitable training for psychiatrists?
Anthony Ryle, Honorary Consultant Psychotherapist and Honorary Senior Research
Fellow
GKT at the Munro Centre, Guy's Hospital, London SE1 9RT
Sir: Not surprisingly, I welcome the paper by Harvey Rees (Psychiatric
Bulletin, April 2000, 24, 124-126).
Cognitiveanalytic therapy (CAT) was always intended to offer a
NHS-relevant model of psychological therapy and management. Rees comments on
the need for a "robust evidence base for its effectiveness", in
this respect. It should be noted that the development of the model over the
past 25 years has involved both conceptual developments and numerous small
scale studies of both process and outcome. These are recorded in three books
and over 50 papers published in peer-reviewed journals and a number of further
papers are due to appear in a special section of the June issue of the
British Journal of Medical Psychology. Much of this work has been
focused on borderline personality disorder. Bowing to current definitions of
robust, and despite considerable ethical and design problems, we
have now embarked on a large scale randomised controlled trial of 24-session
CAT in this category of patients. Despite favourable referees' reports and a
completed feasibility study, this inexpensive study of a group of currently
neglected patients who have a very low spontaneous recovery rate, a high
suicide rate and are high consumers of resources has failed to attract
research and development funding.