Patients needing psychotherapy do better if they are treated by therapists objectively demonstrated to have a track record of success with their particular mental health issue, US researchers report.

This suggests a degree of ‘personalised medicine’ could be introduced into mental health care by matching a patient to the right therapist, the University of Massachusetts team says.

In a clinical trial, they found that matching led to larger reductions in patients’ symptoms, functional impairment and psychological distress compared with usual care. 

Patients at six mental health care clinics in Cleveland, Ohio, were randomly allocated either to a therapist demonstrated to be particularly effective in treating the patients’ mental health issue or to standard care, such as taking the next available appointment.