Vol. 3 No. 4 (2023)
Health Technology Reviews

Occupational Therapy for Mental Health Conditions and Substance Use Disorders

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Published April 13, 2023

Key Messages

  • Occupational therapy interventions may be effective for reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety and improving function and participation with the interventions in adult patients diagnosed with depression and/or anxiety.
  • In patients with schizophrenia, occupational therapy interventions may improve social functioning, cognitive performance, executive function, and motivation; and reduce the duration and rate of rehospitalization.
  • We did not find any evidence regarding the clinical effectiveness of occupational therapy for the treatment of bipolar disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder that met the inclusion criteria for our review.
  • We did not find any evidence meeting our inclusion criteria about the cost-effectiveness of occupational therapy for the treatment of mental health conditions, as well as the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of occupational therapy for the treatment of substance use disorders.