Metacognitive Therapy Improves Outcomes for Patients with Anxiety and Depression Worldwide

Impact: Economic, Health and wellbeing

Narrative

Treatments for psychological disorders have not kept pace with advances in cognitive theories. Aiming to improve outcomes, research at the University of Manchester resulted in developing Metacognitive Therapy (MCT) that has had worldwide impact on clinical practice and improving lives. MCT is more effective than existing ‘gold standard’ psychological treatments. MCT has improved social anxiety (SA), generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) and depression treatment, is recommended in NICE guidelines, and is a ‘core competency’ (SA) for training UK clinical psychologists. MCT has led to the not-for-profit spin-out company, MCT-Institute (MCT-I), training over 200 healthcare professionals in 25 countries in MCT each year. The 2019-2020 Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) annual report documents approximately 170,000 patients in 2019-2020 entering treatment in England for SA or GAD, the majority of whom benefitted from MCT.
Impact dateAug 2013Dec 2020
Category of impactEconomic, Health and wellbeing
Impact levelAdoption