It really depends on the kind of mental health issue and the kind of solution.
As I understand it the 'standard' treatment for phobias and panic attacks, for example, is extremely effective compared to 1) earlier psychotherapy approaches, and 2) no treatment.
CBT more generally seems to have decent rates of efficacy, at least with things like anxiety disorders. And at least based on my personal experience and a handful of people I know, it often proved effective where earlier psychotherapy was not, where a good social support system was not, and where doing nothing led to the increasing anxiety levels in the first place.
That said, I'm skeptical of a lot of things in the field, so I don't want to sound like I'm fully defending it.
EDIT: apologies for not providing hard evidence. One book that references studies in regards to this issue is "What You Can Change and What You Can't" by Martin Seligman, but I don't have it nearby.
As I understand it the 'standard' treatment for phobias and panic attacks, for example, is extremely effective compared to 1) earlier psychotherapy approaches, and 2) no treatment.
CBT more generally seems to have decent rates of efficacy, at least with things like anxiety disorders. And at least based on my personal experience and a handful of people I know, it often proved effective where earlier psychotherapy was not, where a good social support system was not, and where doing nothing led to the increasing anxiety levels in the first place.
That said, I'm skeptical of a lot of things in the field, so I don't want to sound like I'm fully defending it.
EDIT: apologies for not providing hard evidence. One book that references studies in regards to this issue is "What You Can Change and What You Can't" by Martin Seligman, but I don't have it nearby.