Evidence-based treatment (EBT) is a treatment method that employs hard evidence from exhaustive research as its base. It does this to find out what treatments help patients to best overcome their addiction.
The Problem EBT Solves
One of the issues that mental health and addiction treatments face is that there are many variables. In standard scientific and medical practices, a clinically-controlled environment helps determine whether or not a treatment works. If a person has a traditional disease, a doctor prescribes a particular type of treatment – a medication, for example. Then, the doctor monitors the patient to establish whether or not that treatment is effective. Sometimes, it is more difficult to do this when mental health is at stake.
A person’s mental health impacts everything they do and what they think. For this reason, it can be difficult to verify whether or not a particular treatment is actually the cause of a patient’s improvement. A doctor could give the patient medication, but at the same time, the patient could engage in a spiritual pursuit they find helpful. They may have a change in circumstance – such as moving to a new location, beginning a new relationship or taking a new job – which is a major factor in improving their mental health. In those cases, it’s difficult to establish the effectiveness of the medication.
Therefore, it is this challenge that evidence-based treatment seeks to overcome.
What Makes an Evidence-Based Treatment
Moreover, the goal of EBT is to eliminate as many variables as possible. This makes it easier to identify what treatments are actually effective at managing a particular condition. In fact, the goal is to remove outside influences to show a direct correlation between treatment and improvement. In other words, EBT uses several factors to help find the best treatments to assist a patient:
- Scientific, academic and clinical testing are executed in a controlled environment to ascertain the effectiveness of a treatment.
- Peer-reviewed journals are written about treatments and reviewed by experts to determine how thorough the research behind each treatment is.
- Authoritative documentation of an EBT must come from a reputable source. Professionals must repeat the research that supports the effectiveness of the treatment.
- Leading authorities in a particular field must agree that there is sufficient evidence to support the use of a treatment in order for them to incorporate it into evidence-based practice.
Some Types of EBT
First, a treatment undergoes the rigorous testing necessary to be called evidence-based. Then, professionals can implement it to aid patients. Some of the most common evidence-based treatments are:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), Exposure Therapy, and Functional Family Therapy
- FDA Medications
- Motivational Interviewing
- Assertive Community Treatment
Above all, CBT is one of the best-known and most commonly used EBT practices. Professionals have done tests that show it can help with a wide range of psychological conditions.
Why EBT is Important
When selecting a treatment program for any mental health issue, it’s helpful to include some evidence-based therapies. EBT’s have the most scientific proof that they work for the most people under the most conditions. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has an extensive database of resources for EBT. These do not need to be the only methods used in a patient’s program. However, they do have the highest rate of success. Knowing about EBT can greatly improve the chance of recovery.
In conclusion, we want you to reach out if you need to overcome an addiction. Our EBT can help you with this. Contact us today.