More Americans Are Choosing Talk Therapy Over Medication

Original Article: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/more-us-patients-choose-talk-therapy-over-psychotropics-2025a1000ber

More People Picking Therapy Over Pills

Between 2018 and 2021, more adults in the U.S. started choosing psychotherapy (talk therapy) without medications to treat their mental health issues. At the same time, fewer people relied only on psychotropic medications including antidepressants or anxiety drugs. This shift shows a growing preference for talking to a therapist rather than only using medicines.

Therapists Take the Lead

The study found that social workers and counselors are now handling more mental health visits, while psychiatrists are less involved than before. People with mild or moderate distress were especially likely to see a therapist more often. On average, patients had more therapy sessions than in past years.

Less Medication Use During Therapy

For people who did get therapy, the use of medications such as sleep aids, anti-anxiety drugs, and antipsychotics dropped. This suggests that when people engage in regular therapy, they may not need as many medications to manage their mental health. Experts believe this marks a shift back toward talk-based care after years of focusing on medication.