What the evidence says, including where it is thin
Two things held at once. The evidence for talking treatment here is genuinely good, and it is honest about its own limits, which we would rather show you than tidy away. And seeking a remedy sits inside the tradition rather than outside it.
Qur’an and Sunnah
وَيَرۡزُقۡهُ مِنۡ حَيۡثُ لَا يَحۡتَسِبُۚ وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلۡ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسۡبُهُۥٓۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بَٰلِغُ أَمۡرِهِۦۚ قَدۡ جَعَلَ ٱللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيۡءࣲ قَدۡرࣰ ا
and will provide for them from an unexpected source; God will be enough for those who put their trust in Him. God achieves His purpose; God has set a due measure for everything
Qur’an 65:3
Narrated Abu Huraira:The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment
Sahih al-Bukhari 5678graded sound, sahihaynfull report
Translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, The Qur'an, Oxford University Press, 2004.
What the research says
Carpenter JK, Andrews LA, Witcraft SM, Powers MB, Smits JAJ, Hofmann SG (2018). Cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety and related disorders: a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials. Depression and Anxiety, 35(6), 502 to 514 doi
41 randomised trials against a placebo condition, 2,843 people. Symptoms of the target disorder improved by a moderate amount, Hedges g 0.56, while quality of life moved less, 0.30. The authors say plainly that therapists cannot be blinded in trials like these, and that the effects for panic and social anxiety were smaller than for generalised anxiety. Symptom scores move more than lives do, and that is worth knowing before you start.
Springer KS, Levy HC, Tolin DF (2018). Remission in CBT for adult anxiety disorders: a meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 61, 1 to 8 doi
Responding to treatment and recovering from the condition are not the same thing. A meaningful share of people whose scores improve still meet the criteria for the disorder afterwards. This is the honest counterweight to the numbers above.