A long-term follow-up study of a cohort of referrals to an adult mental health clinical psychology department

The study, using the SCL‐90‐R, investigated the long‐term outcome of clinical psychology interventions with adults by contacting 95 clients between five and eight years after initial contact. Post‐treatment improvements in global psychological well‐being were generally maintained at long‐term follow‐up. About a quarter of clients, however, did not report any improvement in the initial problem and about a half had help from other services since ending contact with the department. The study provides encouraging evidence of long‐term benefits for many clients, but we suggest a reconsideration of the optimal provision of psychological help for people whose problems may be enduring and/or recurrent.