Where Do We Go from Here? How Addressing Clinical Complexities Will Result in Improved Therapeutic Outcomes

Abstract

The past several decades have been characterized by significant advancements in the understanding and treatment of psychiatric diagnoses. Well-conceptualized and empirically supported interventions/approaches are in place for virtually all of the disorders covered in the book, and new studies are rapidly coming out that provide further insight into mental health treatments that work. Although encouraging and a marked step forward, straightforward, uncomplicated presentations are often the exception rather than the rule in terms of the individuals included in these trials. Yet, in applied practice, clinical presentations characterized by varied complexities are common and can markedly impact treatment course and outcome without appropriately consideration. The purpose of this book is to advance the literature beyond the understanding that a particular treatment, on average, works for the average person with the corresponding disorder. Rather, it is our hope that this two-series volume increases the application of personalized care in the mental health treatment of adults and children who present as clinically complex.