Talk Doesn’t Pay, So Psychiatry Turns Instead to Drug Therapy
Published: March 5, 2011
Recent studies suggest that talk therapy may be as good as or better than drugs in the treatment of depression, but fewer than half of depressed patients now get such therapy compared with the vast majority 20 years ago. Insurance company reimbursement rates and policies that discourage talk therapy are part of the reason. A psychiatrist can earn $150 for three 15-minute medication visits compared with $90 for a 45-minute talk therapy session. There is no evidence that psychiatrists provide higher quality talk therapy than psychologists or social workers.
Of course, there are thousands of psychiatrists who still offer talk therapy to all their patients, but they care mostly for the worried wealthy who pay in cash. In New York City, for instance, a select group of psychiatrists charge $600 or more per hour to treat investment bankers, and top child psychiatrists charge $2,000 and more for initial evaluations.
Dr. Louisa Lance, a former colleague of Dr. Levin’s, practices the old style of psychiatry from an office next to her house, 14 miles from Dr. Levin’s office. She charges $200 for most appointments and treats fewer patients in a week than Dr. Levin treats in a day.
Dr. Louisa Lance, a former colleague of Dr. Levin’s, practices the old style of psychiatry from an office next to her house, 14 miles from Dr. Levin’s office. She charges $200 for most appointments and treats fewer patients in a week than Dr. Levin treats in a day.
“Medication is important,” she said, “but it’s the relationship that gets people better.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/health/policy/06doctors.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
thanks God, não foram essas as escolhas que eu fiz, ainda tento ser uma boa terapeuta...
