Abstract
Growing evidence supports the efficacy of various psychosocial interventions yet provides very little information about the potential harms and burdens of treatment. Lacking such information makes it difficult to make truly informed decisions about treatment options. This has proved challenging for clinical practice guideline developers, who seek to synthesize the best available research, including weighing perceived benefits, harms, and burdens of treatments, in order to formulate recommendations for clinicians, patients, and policy makers. This paper overviews the problem along with current and future implications and challenges for guideline development, including an example from the American Psychological Association’s guideline on PTSD treatment. Adequate definition and reporting in published treatment trials is critical for the field to formulate careful treatment recommendations and guidelines.