Therapy statistics

Psychotherapy, often called talking therapy, treats mental health problems through regular conversations with a trained professional. For depression, cognitive behavioural therapy is the most studied type.

This page answers three questions. How well does therapy work in clinical trials? How many people with a mental disorder get any treatment at all? And why do many not seek it, or stop? The first answer comes from reviews that pooled many randomised trials. The others come from national, regional and cross-country surveys and service records.

The two kinds of figure measure different things. A trial figure, such as an effect size, shows how much better people did with a treatment. The comparison might be usual care, a placebo or another treatment. It is never a share of the population. A survey figure counts people.

How well therapy works for depression

These figures come from reviews that pooled randomised trials of therapy for depression. They describe the people who took part in those trials. A response means symptoms fell by at least half. Most trials did not report response, remission or deterioration rates. So the review estimated most of these rates with a validated method.

• Among adults with depression in randomised trials of psychotherapy, 41% of the patients given psychotherapy responded, meaning their symptoms fell by at least half, about two months after starting. (meta-analysis of trials, published 2021, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹
• Among adults with depression in randomised trials of psychotherapy, 17% of the patients given usual care instead responded, meaning their symptoms fell by at least half, about two months after starting. (meta-analysis of trials, published 2021, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹
• Among adults with depression in randomised trials of psychotherapy, about 5.3 people needed psychotherapy rather than usual care for one more person to respond (the number needed to treat). (meta-analysis of trials, published 2021, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹
• Among adults with depression in randomised trials of psychotherapy, 5% of the patients given psychotherapy got clinically worse, a smaller share than in the control groups. (meta-analysis of trials, published 2021, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹
• Among adult outpatients with depression in randomised trials, cognitive behavioural therapy reduced depression more than control conditions such as usual care or a waiting list by the end of treatment (effect size 0.79). (meta-analysis of trials, published 2023, checked 19 Oct 2026) ⁵
• Among adult outpatients with depression in randomised trials, about 3.8 people needed cognitive behavioural therapy instead of a control condition for one more to benefit by the end of treatment (number needed to treat). (meta-analysis of trials, published 2023, checked 19 Oct 2026) ⁵

Therapy and medication compared

One umbrella review, a review of reviews, pooled the largest review for each main mental disorder in adults. Most effect sizes were small, for therapy and medication alike. Another review compared relapse after cognitive behavioural therapy with relapse after antidepressant medication. At the end of treatment, the cognitive behavioural therapy review found no significant difference between that therapy and medication.

• Across adults with mental disorders in randomised trials, pooling the largest review for each disorder, psychotherapies beat placebo or usual treatment by a standardised mean difference of 0.34. (meta-analysis of trials, published 2022, checked 10 Oct 2026) ²
• Across adults with mental disorders in randomised trials, pooling the largest review for each disorder, medication beat placebo or usual treatment by a standardised mean difference of 0.36. (meta-analysis of trials, published 2022, checked 10 Oct 2026) ²
• Among people with depression in randomised trials comparing CBT with medication, cognitive behavioural therapy outperformed medication six to twelve months after treatment by an effect size of 0.34. The trials were few, and the difference did not hold in every sensitivity analysis. (meta-analysis of trials, published 2023, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁵
• Among adults with depression in 8 trials followed up for 6 to 18 months, the odds of staying well after cognitive behavioural therapy were 2.61 times those of people who came off their medication. (meta-analysis of trials, published 2013, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁶
• Among adults with depression in 8 trials followed up for 6 to 18 months, about 5 people needed cognitive behavioural therapy rather than stopped medication to prevent one relapse (number needed to treat). (meta-analysis of trials, published 2013, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁶
• Among adults with depression in 5 trials comparing CBT with continued medication, the odds of staying well after cognitive behavioural therapy were 1.62 times those on continued medication, a difference that was not significant. (meta-analysis of trials, published 2013, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁶

Therapy, medication or both

These reviews pooled randomised trials that compared therapy, antidepressant medication and the two together. The trials were of depression and, in one review, anxiety disorders. Each figure names the comparison, the outcome, the number of trials and the time point. In the tapering review, everyone had already recovered fully or partly, and the therapy was preventive cognitive therapy or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, given during or after tapering. In those trials, the study asked people to taper gradually, over four weeks to six months. In the follow-up figure, each trial defined a positive outcome in its own way. These figures describe groups of trial patients, not what is right for any one person. If you take medication for your mental health, talk to the person who prescribed it before you stop or change it.

• Across adults with depressive or anxiety disorders in 52 trials, therapy added to antidepressant medication improved symptoms more than medication alone by the end of treatment (Hedges' g 0.43). (meta-analysis of trials, published 2014, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁷
• Across adults with depressive or anxiety disorders in 52 trials, the number needed to treat for therapy added to medication, against medication alone, was 4.20 by the end of treatment. (meta-analysis of trials, published 2014, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁷
• Among adults with depressive or anxiety disorders in 19 trials followed up for 3 to 24 months, therapy added to medication made a positive outcome 1.48 times as likely as medication alone. (meta-analysis of trials, published 2014, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁷
• Across adults with depression in 101 trials, people given therapy and medication together were 1.27 times as likely to respond by the end of treatment as people given therapy alone. (meta-analysis of trials, published 2020, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁸
• Across adults with depression in 101 trials, people given therapy and medication together were 1.25 times as likely to respond by the end of treatment as people given medication alone. (meta-analysis of trials, published 2020, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁸
• Across adults with depression in 101 trials, the chance of responding by the end of treatment did not differ significantly between therapy alone and medication alone (relative risk 0.99). (meta-analysis of trials, published 2020, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁸
• Among adults with depression in full or partial remission in 4 trials followed for 15 months, relapse risk did not differ significantly between therapy while tapering antidepressants and staying on antidepressants (hazard ratio 0.86). (meta-analysis of trials, published 2021, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁹

How well therapy works for anxiety

This review compared cognitive behavioural therapy with a placebo, either a pill or a psychological placebo, in adults aged eighteen to sixty-five. The trials covered acute stress disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and social anxiety disorder.

• Against a placebo, cognitive behavioural therapy eased symptoms of the targeted disorder in adults aged 18 to 65 with anxiety and related disorders in placebo-controlled randomised trials by an effect size of 0.56. (meta-analysis of trials, published 2018, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁰
• Among adults aged 18 to 65 with anxiety and related disorders in placebo-controlled randomised trials, the odds of responding to cognitive behavioural therapy were 2.97 times the odds of responding to a placebo. (meta-analysis of trials, published 2018, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁰

How many people get treatment worldwide

The World Mental Health Surveys interviewed adults at home in many countries and asked about any treatment, not only therapy. Treatment that met minimal or guideline standards was far rarer than any treatment at all.

• Among adults aged 18 and over in household surveys in 21 countries, only 6.9% of past-year anxiety, mood and substance use disorders got treatment meeting guidelines for effective care. (survey, past 12 months, 2001-2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ³
• Only 16.5% of adults with major depressive disorder in the past year in surveys in 21 countries received treatment that met minimal standards. (survey, past 12 months, published 2017, fieldwork year not stated, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹¹
• In the high-income countries surveyed, 22.4% of adults with major depressive disorder in the past year received minimally adequate treatment. (survey, past 12 months, published 2017, fieldwork year not stated, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹¹
• In the low- and lower-middle-income countries surveyed, 3.7% of adults with major depressive disorder in the past year received minimally adequate treatment. (survey, past 12 months, published 2017, fieldwork year not stated, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹¹
• Only 27.6% of adults with a past-year anxiety disorder in 24 surveys in 21 countries received any treatment in that year from a professional, counting complementary and non-medical providers as well as doctors. (survey, past 12 months, 2001-2015 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹²
• Only 9.8% of adults with a past-year anxiety disorder in 24 surveys in 21 countries received treatment that the researchers judged possibly adequate. (survey, past 12 months, 2001-2015 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹²

Who gets therapy, and what stops people

The World Mental Health Surveys and a national survey in the United States asked people with a mental disorder why they had not sought treatment, or why they had stopped. Among people who had not sought treatment, the most common reason was that they did not feel they needed it. Among those who did feel a need, the most common reasons were attitudinal, such as wanting to handle the problem alone or doubting that treatment would help ¹³. Structural reasons, such as cost or getting to a service, mattered more for people with severe disorders. Our page on stigma around mental illness covers attitudes and discrimination. Most of this fieldwork took place about twenty years ago, so each figure shows its years.

• In a United States national survey, 44.8% of adults with a past-year mental disorder who did not seek treatment gave low perceived need as a reason. (survey, 2001-2003 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹³
• In a United States national survey, 72.6% of adults with a past-year disorder who saw a need for treatment but did not seek it wanted to handle the problem alone. (survey, 2001-2003 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹³
• In a United States national survey, 97.4% of adults with a past-year disorder who saw a need for treatment but did not seek it gave an attitudinal reason. (survey, 2001-2003 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹³
• In a United States national survey, 22.2% of adults with a past-year disorder who saw a need for treatment but did not seek it gave a structural reason. (survey, 2001-2003 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹³
• Among adults in household surveys in 24 countries who had a mental disorder in the past year and used no services, 38.5% saw a need for professional treatment. (survey, 2001-2009 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁴
• Among adults in household surveys in 24 countries who had a mental disorder in the past year and dropped out of all treatment, 50.2% had wanted to handle the problem alone. (survey, 2001-2009 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁴
• Among adults in household surveys in 24 countries who had a mental disorder in the past year and dropped out of all treatment, 39.3% felt the treatment was not working. (survey, 2001-2009 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁴
• Among adults in 21 of the 36 states of Nigeria, 1.6% used any mental health service in the past year. (survey, past 12 months, 2002-3 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁵
• Among adults aged 18 and over in the United States, 17.9% used any mental health service in the past year. (survey, past 12 months, 2002-3 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁵
• In Beijing and Shanghai, 11.0% of adults with a serious past-year mental disorder received any mental health service in the past year. (survey, past 12 months, 2002-3 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁵
• In Belgium, 62.1% of adults with a serious past-year mental disorder received any mental health service in the past year. (survey, past 12 months, 2001-2 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁵

The mental health workforce

The World Health Organization's Mental Health Atlas collects reports from its member countries. It counts all mental health workers, not only therapists, and says shortages are extreme in low- and middle-income countries.

• Across the countries reporting to the WHO Mental Health Atlas in 2024, the median mental health workforce was 13 per 100,000 people. (2024 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ⁴

North America

The United States figures come from two national household surveys. The first asked separately about counselling or therapy and about medication. The second counted any mental health treatment.

• In the United States in 2019, 9.5% of adults aged eighteen and over had received counselling or therapy from a mental health professional in the past year. (survey, past 12 months, 2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁶
• In the United States in 2019, 15.8% of adults aged eighteen and over had taken prescription medication for their mental health in the past year. (survey, past 12 months, 2019 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁶
• In the United States in 2024, 22.9% of adults aged eighteen and over received some form of mental health treatment in the past year, such as outpatient care, medication or telehealth. (survey, past 12 months, 2024 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁷
• In the United States in 2024, 52.1% of adults aged eighteen and over with any mental illness in the past year received mental health treatment in the past year. (survey, past 12 months, 2024 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁷

South America

Brazil's figures come from a household survey of adults in the São Paulo metropolitan area. They describe that area, not the whole country.

• In Brazil, only 23% of adults aged 18 and over in the São Paulo metropolitan area with a mental disorder in the past year received treatment. (survey, past 12 months, 2005-2007 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁸
• In Brazil, 35% of adults aged 18 and over in the São Paulo metropolitan area with a severe mental disorder in the past year received treatment. (survey, past 12 months, 2005-2007 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁸

Europe

England's survey figures come from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, which screens adults for symptoms of common conditions such as anxiety and depression. The service figures come from NHS Talking Therapies, the NHS programme in England that offers psychological therapy for anxiety and depression.

• In 2023/4, 17.9% of adults aged 16 to 74 in England with symptoms of a common mental health condition reported receiving psychological therapy. (survey, 2023/4 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁹
• In 2007, 10.4% of adults aged 16 to 74 in England with symptoms of a common mental health condition reported receiving psychological therapy. (survey, 2007 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁹
• In 2023/4, 38.4% of adults aged 16 to 74 in England with symptoms of a common mental health condition reported receiving medication for it. (survey, 2023/4 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ¹⁹
• In 2023/4, 47.7% of adults aged 16 to 74 in England with symptoms of a common mental health condition reported receiving treatment. (survey, 2023/4 data, checked 9 Oct 2026) ¹⁹
• In England in 2024-25, 50.5% of referrals that finished a course of treatment in NHS Talking Therapies moved to recovery. (administrative records, 2024-25 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ²⁰
• In England in 2024-25, 670,419 referrals to NHS Talking Therapies finished a course of treatment. (administrative records, 2024-25 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ²⁰

Africa

South Africa's figures come from the South African Stress and Health study, a national household survey. Most treatment came from general medical services, and few people received treatment from mental health providers.

• In South Africa, 28% of adults aged 18 and over with a severe or moderately severe disorder in the past year received any treatment in the past year. (survey, past 12 months, 2002-2004 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ²¹
• In South Africa, 24.4% of adults aged 18 and over with a mild disorder in the past year received any treatment in the past year. (survey, past 12 months, 2002-2004 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ²¹

Middle East

Lebanon's figures come from a national household survey. They count people who had ever had a disorder and whether they had ever sought or obtained treatment for it.

• In Lebanon, 49.2% of adults aged 18 and over in a national household survey with a lifetime mood disorder had ever obtained treatment for it. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2002-2003 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ²²
• In Lebanon, 37.2% of adults aged 18 and over in a national household survey with a lifetime anxiety disorder had ever sought treatment for it. (survey, lifetime (ever), 2002-2003 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ²²

Asia

India's figures come from the National Mental Health Survey of adults in twelve states. It reports a treatment gap: the share of people with a current disorder who were not on treatment or were on inadequate treatment.

• In India's National Mental Health Survey, 83% of adults aged 18 and over in 12 states with a current mental disorder had no treatment or inadequate treatment. (survey, 2015-2016 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ²³
• In India's National Mental Health Survey, 85.2% of adults aged 18 and over in 12 states with a current major depressive disorder had no treatment or inadequate treatment. (survey, 2015-2016 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ²³

Oceania

Australia's figures come from the National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing. They count everyone in the age range, whether or not they had a mental disorder.

• In Australia in 2020-2022, 17.4% of people aged sixteen to eighty-five saw a health professional for their mental health in the past year. (survey, past 12 months, 2020-2022 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ²⁴
• In Australia in 2020-2022, 12.4% of people aged sixteen to eighty-five saw a general practitioner for their mental health in the past year. (survey, past 12 months, 2020-2022 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ²⁴
• In Australia in 2020-2022, 7.8% of people aged sixteen to eighty-five saw a psychologist for their mental health in the past year. (survey, past 12 months, 2020-2022 data, checked 10 Oct 2026) ²⁴

National figures side by side

These surveys counted different groups, over different periods, and asked about any treatment rather than therapy alone. India's row counts people without adequate treatment, the reverse of the others. Read each row with its label, and do not rank the countries.

How to read these figures

An effect size, such as Hedges' g or a standardised mean difference, compares the average result of a treated group with a comparison group. Researchers often call effects small, medium or large. An effect size is not a percentage of people helped.

The number needed to treat is how many people must receive one treatment instead of another for one more person to benefit. Lower is better. An odds ratio compares the odds of an outcome in two groups. In the relapse figures the outcome is staying well, so an odds ratio above one favours cognitive behavioural therapy.

A relative risk compares how likely an outcome, such as responding to treatment, is in two groups. A hazard ratio compares how soon an outcome, such as relapse, happens in two groups. For both, one means no difference.

Trial figures describe the people in the trials, who may differ from people seen in everyday practice. Several of these reviews also note high variation between trials and a risk of bias in many of them.

The effective treatment figure counts disorders, not people. A person with two disorders counts twice. Survey figures about treatment count any treatment the survey asked about, which can include medication, a family doctor or other providers as well as therapy. Many of the national surveys are years old. Each figure shows its year.

England's survey counts adults with symptoms of a common mental health condition, while NHS Talking Therapies counts referrals rather than people.

Trials show that therapy helps many people with depression ¹. Even so, more than half of the patients in depression trials did not respond within about two months. Surveys show that many people with a mental disorder still get no treatment, or treatment that falls short of minimal standards.

If you are thinking about therapy, a psychologist, psychotherapist or counsellor can help you work out what kind suits you. Our guide on how to find the right therapist explains what to look for. If you are in distress right now, see our helplines and suicide hotlines worldwide.

Cite this page: TherapyRoute. Therapy statistics. https://www.therapyroute.com/article/the-vital-role-of-therapy-in-mental-wellness-2025-statistics-by-therapyroute. Last updated 29 October 2026.

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