Analyzing holistic programs that deploy a cross-sectional approach are even more difficult to ascertain, in terms of isolating the causal factors that cause an improved response to treatment.

With another biological illness such depression, for example, "some types of depression run in families, suggesting that a biological vulnerability can be inherited...major depression also seems to occur generation after generation. However, it can also occur in people who have no family history of depression." ("Depression," 2000, NIH) (This is also true of substance abuse -- there is a genetic predisposition, but not all abusers share such a genetic legacy.) Responses to anti-depressants also vary depending on the patient. "Sometimes the doctor will try a variety of antidepressants before finding the most effective medication or combination of medications," and combine medication with psychotherapy. ("Depression," 2000, NIH) Also, while a combined approach seems to present the best clinical outcome, certain depressed populations such...
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