Letters
Long term psychotherapy
EDITOR,--Isaac Marks's arguments against the cost effectiveness of long term psychotherapy could equally well be applied to the long term and often purely palliative treatments available for patients with intractable somatic disease. These patients' needs are not yet neglected because the drugs and surgery involved are unlikely to effect an outright cure or be proved to be cost effective in the terms of reference of the profession of accountancy as contrasted to that of medicine.Perhaps we should bear in mind that the purpose of medicine is to cure sometimes, to ameliorate often, to comfort always.
John A Davis
Emeritus professor of paediatrics Great Shelford, Cambridge CB2 5JE.
- Holmes J, Marks I. Psychotherapy--a luxury the NHS cannot afford? BMJ 1994;309:1070-2. (22 October.)
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- Controversies in Management Psychotherapy - a luxury the NHS cannot afford? More expensive not to treat
- J Holmes
BMJ 1994 309: 1070-1071.[Extract] [Full Text]
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