Use of complementary therapies by registered psychologists: a comparison of Australian, UK and American professionals

The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence and utilization pattern of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) amongst Australian, British and American registered psychologists. It is of particular interest to see whether Psychologists are also professionally trained in a CAM speciality. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a category of diverse medical and healthcare systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered as part of conventional medicine and has been defined by the Cochrane Collaboration as “a broad domain of healing resources that encompasses all health systems, modalities, and practices and their accompanying theories and beliefs other than those intrinsic to the politically dominant health systems of a particular society or culture in a given historical period”. CAM is becoming increasingly prevalent because it is used not only for disease treatment, but also for disease prevention and health promotion. In 2007, American adults made 354 million visits to CAM practitioners and it has become a $42 billion dollar industry. The use of CAM amongst the general population in Australia is widespread (∼70%) and, as such, has the potential to impact on health-care decisions.