Empirically Validated Treatments

Originally published in Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 2000, Vol 45(2), 148–151. In A Guide to Treatments That Work (see record 1998-07090-000), expert clinicians and researchers summarize the current state of affairs in the empirical validation of pharmacological and psychosocial treatments of psychological disorders. Nathan and Gorman successfully bring together into one volume reviews of the treatment literature for each of the major DSM-IV diagnoses, offering the reader a more expansive view of these efficacious treatments. In the Foreword to Nathan and Gorman's book, Seligman draws the reader in with a charismatic and spirited start, and the editors' introductory chapter does an excellent job of encapsulating the empirical and theoretical work that has come before and foreshadowing the work that is yet to come. The organizing structure of the volume directly follows that of the DSM-IV. The initial chapters cover disorders of childhood and from there move directly into treatments for dementia, substance use, and schizophrenia. After that come major depressive and bipolar disorders and the anxiety disorders. Next come somatoform and dissociative disorders, sexual dysfunction, paraphilias, and eating disorders. The final chapters cover sleep and personality disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)