The efficacy of psychological treatments on adolescent psychopathology: a narrative review

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Adolescence is a critical period for human psychological and social development. Mental illness during this time can cause long-lasting damage on both individual and social levels. A growing body of psychological treatments has been employed to treat psychopathology; however, no reviews of these psychological interventions have been conducted. To fill the gap, this study reviewed articles published within the last decade that focused on the efficacy of psychological treatments of adolescent psychopathology. METHODS: Peer-reviewed, original studies published between January 1, 2012, and June 1, 2022 were identified using the PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar databases. After reasonable deletion following the exclusion criteria, a total of 50 articles focusing on clinical and subclinical psychopathology were finally reviewed. KEY CONTENT AND FINDINGS: Psychological treatments are widely used in treating psychopathology and exhibit efficacy for adolescent psychopathology. Cognitive behavior therapy and family-based therapy are the most commonly used therapies. Many treatments in the review were conducted in the family and school contexts. Although the recent literature is encouraging, future studies with rigorous experimental designs regarding the samples and methodology are required. Future studies should also pay more attention to unsolved psychopathology and identify the effective elements for improvements in interventions and outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: This review provides a full view of studies on the efficacy of psychological treatments for adolescent psychopathology. It can be utilized to inform recommendations for healthcare services to improve treatment outcomes.