The UK NHS Talking Therapies Fantasy
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Abstract
In February 2023, the English program "Improving Access to Psychological Therapies" (IAPT) was rebranded as "NHS Talking Therapies", although this change did not translate into substantial improvements indicating an advancement in service quality. The primary purpose of this article is to critically assess the myths perpetuated by the IAPT (now NHS Talking Therapies). Despite the striking marketing campaign of NHS Talking Therapies, it does not appear to have succeeded in reducing the burden of mental health in the United Kingdom. The service has claimed to be merely a conduit for providing protocols endorsed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. IAPT is sustained through a series of myths that are refuted and extensively discussed. Without using criteria to determine whether a psychological treatment is empirically supported, countries are likely to fall prey to well-marketed pharmacological or psychological interventions. Furthermore, without such controls, service providers are licensed to squander money, sidelining the needs of the population.
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