It is one of the first questions people ask when they decide to do something about anxiety: should I be having therapy, taking medication, or both?
It is worth saying clearly at the outset that decisions about medication sit with your GP or a psychiatrist, not with a psychologist. What follows is an overview of what the research broadly shows, offered so that you can have a better-informed conversation with your doctor. It is not a recommendation in either direction, and it is certainly not a reason to change anything you are currently taking.
What the evidence broadly shows
For most anxiety disorders, both psychological therapy and medication have good evidence behind them, and clinical guidelines in Australia and internationally recognise both as legitimate first-line options.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy has the strongest research base among the psychological treatments. Medication, prescribed and monitored by a doctor, is also well established and can be particularly useful where symptoms are severe enough that engaging with therapy is difficult in the first place.
Research comparing the two tends to find broadly comparable outcomes in the shorter term for many presentations, with one notable difference: gains from therapy often persist after treatment ends, because the skills remain with you. This is not an argument against medication. It is simply one factor among several that your doctor will weigh with you.
Different tools, different strengths
Presented this way it can look like a choice between two columns. In practice, for many people it is not a choice at all.
Why the answer is often both
A common and entirely sensible arrangement is for someone to work with their GP on the medical side while seeing a psychologist for the therapeutic side. The two are not in competition, and combining them is standard practice rather than a sign that something has gone wrong.
Where symptoms are intense, medication can sometimes reduce them enough that the work of therapy becomes possible. Where therapy is progressing well, some people and their doctors later consider reducing medication, always gradually and always under medical supervision. Neither path is a failure of the other.
Having the conversation with your GP
Your GP is the right person to raise this with, and it helps to arrive prepared. It is worth being able to describe how long symptoms have been present, how much they are affecting your daily life, sleep, and work, what you have already tried, and any concerns you have about medication so they can be discussed openly.
The same appointment is also where you can ask about a Mental Health Care Plan, which provides Medicare rebates for up to ten psychology sessions per calendar year. Many people leave that consultation with both a referral and a plan for the medical side.
Where therapy fits
Whatever you and your doctor decide about the medical side, the psychological work remains available and worthwhile. At Sage Psychological Services, CBT and related approaches are used to treat anxiety in adults, in East Fremantle and by telehealth across Western Australia.
Jacob works alongside GPs regularly and is comfortable coordinating care where that is useful. You can book a session or get in touch to discuss whether therapy would suit your situation.
