Systematic Review: Psychotherapy for Patients with Serious Illness
A systematic review published in the Annals of Palliative Medicine examined the efficacy of psychotherapy delivered by trained mental health professionals to patients receiving palliative or hospice care, their caregivers, and patient-caregiver dyads—a population that frequently experiences depression, depression, and hopelessness. Across 27 studies, existential-phenomenological and life review/memory specificity therapies showed the strongest evidence base, while cognitive behavioral therapy and dignity therapy almost uniformly found no significance in outcomes, leading the authors to conclude that psychotherapy inconsistently improves objective outcomes for this population despite being generally well-tolerated.