There has recently been an increased focus on comparing the
effectiveness of drugs and psychotherapy in the treatment of mental
disorders. The marked differences between these two treatment forms raise
many conceptual and methodological problems for the investigator. In a
two-part series, the authors discuss a number of these conceptual issues
and their implications for research design, implementation, and
interpretation of findings. Part I focuses on differences in the active
ingredients and hypothesized mechanisms of change of psychotherapy and
pharmacotherapy. Issues addressed include the need for standardization of
treatments, adequate delivery of treatments, and controlling for factors
other than the active ingredients of each treatment.Abstract Teaser