“Are certain mental illness treatments more effective than others?”

Everybody requires an approach that fits with who they are, their history, needs, and goals. This is the larger context that therapists consider when deciding on the treatment. The best therapy is collaborative (not prescriptive), e.g. your therapist consults with you, the client, and advise you about what to expect and what you think and feel about using an approach or technique. Four examples below:
1. For a phobia, research has shown that systematic exposure and desensitization, coupled with cognitive therapy, is best.
2. For panic attacks, a combination of a mindfulness approach coupled with breathing exercises and cognitive/behavioral work may provide a more rapid solution.
3. If you’ve been experiencing life-long problematic patterns of feeling/thinking, manifesting in many contexts, et.g. work, relationships, etc. a psychodynamic approach with a relational and developmental framework might be a sound platform. Upon this, you and your therapist may build more behavioral work.
4. If you’re in couples therapy, the therapist will want to assess for your specific dynamics of relating with your partner, and offer communication skills, and more emotionally vulnerable ways of interacting. Your therapist may also feed back to you his/her observations of your attachment patterns and give homework exercises to practice outside of sessions.
In sum, psychotherapy is not based on the medical model, where one type of antibiotic lends itself to a class of infection. Rather, therapy requires your you and your therapist to look closely at the entirety of who you are: your history, your temperament, your needs and goals … as you begin working, your situation evolves, which requires your therapist to adapt to your growth. If your therapy is going well, you are transforming--and the ‘treatments’ are evolving with you.

Yes of course, it all depends on the individual and therapist and doctor. The problem is the insurance companies and other affiliated payment companies rule over almost anything now a days. The true humanitarian doctors have diminished. It seems to be more about keeping a patient as long as you can, then actually helping them. So sorry for the awakening! Just find a good doctor

Psychotropic medication and psychotherapy are the primary methods to treat mental disorders. Medication can dramatically alleviate symptoms in people struggling with mental illness that surface from changes in their brain chemistry. But such people often had stressful circumstances which contributed to changes in brain chemistry or find life circumstances challenging because of the presence of a mental disorder. Psychotherapy can help significantly in these cases. For example, it can help increase a person's constructive coping skills, self-esteem, effective communication, and insight into and self-awareness of internal conflicts or unresolved issues contributing to current difficulties. If psychotherapy is utilized early enough, it can help someone manage life stressors and exhibit increased resilience to developing mental illness. All in all, for different individuals the importance and impact of these two treatments vary. For most people, a combination of both treatments can lead to the fastest resolution.

Taking a systems and systems thinking approach is best where you look at the MH issue from a multi-faceted approach - some treatment strategies are more effective than others for certain kinds of problems. A view that looks at the problem medically, nutritionally, psychologically, socially and family typically has a stronger capability of being successful.

Absolutely yes, however, it depends upon to whom you are speaking if you want to know which is best. In my opinion the best treatment comes from the best theory and practice.

I believe all behavior is caused by events of childhood, or sometimes adulthood. AA says, "If it's hysterical it's historical." I agree with that. A solid childhood would tend to make us resilient, and a sketchy childhood would tend to make us feel vulnerable or empty. If we have symptoms of inadequacy, we need to find out from where they came. I believe the more we understand the origins of our suffering, the easier it is to fix.

There are three main, common origins of suffering: insecure attachment before the age of five, and especially the younger we were; families that blame together rather than self-reflect together; and repression ethics, that keep us from expressing our authentic selves, thoughts, feelings and all. If there is a therapist who overlooks these three causes, I suggest they will not be as effective or will have more fallout or side-effects.

Yes

While Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has a lot of empirical research supporting its approach, psychoanalytic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis can provide empathic, experienced perspectives to help you more fully understand your current issues, and to see if there are patterns outside of your awareness that are contributing to your difficulties. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis can help you explore deeper causes of anxiety and depression, that are usually related to personal history.