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I certainly have no objection to treating the symptoms. Doctors do that all the time. My worry is that CBT has been accepted as a cure rather than an analgesic.
itsbruce-
I think it can be a cure if the issue is:
Lack of coping skills/bad habits > swap habits > less stress.
IF and ONLY IF there's no underlying issue that you can't deal with by changing habits.
F.E. if you are stressed to the hilt, but you have a ton of bad habits meditation and a stress diary may well solve the issue. But if you have an underlying anxiety problem due to agoraphobia that comes from a past trauma...you may need to dig deeper.
Ultimately you need a way to measure what's what, and psychology in my experience doesn't necessarily have it, therapists go by what works in their experience but if that doesn't work for you, you are off to somebody else which is all nice and well if you can/the issue isn't so massively impacting is must be solved NOW...but NHS services are utter shite in many parts of the UK.
JWestland
Well, my two cents, I think (no hard proof in the scientific study area) you are correct CBT doesn't address long standing issues.
However, if the issue is mostly what they call "coping skills" (how to cope with stress, emotions etc.) I'd say it can help you reduce stress by giving people the tools to help cope. There's not always "A" cause, sometimes you pick up bad habits.
But, if it's a very deep standing issue on how you see yourself/past trauma, it's just plastering over the cracks.
So how does a health professional know...you'd need some test for it, instead of "go have CBT, if it doesn't work, eh, pills/whatever".