I think this is a really interesting question. Sorry that I don't have an answer, but I do have more related questions.

I'm not sure that talking can "cure" anybody when the emotional problems may just be the symptoms of an underlying organic condition. For example, before my brain injury, I didn't suffer from depression, panic attacks, etc... Now, I've got all that is spades. It would appear these issues are physical (structural and chemical changes in my battered brain) as opposed to emotional.

That said, I do think that talk therapy can be useful for helping us cope with the fallout from our symptoms in our daily lives. If our psychiatric problems are longstanding, looking at the past might give us insights into our current behavior (triggers, etc...) that might help us cope.

The one thing I am sure of is that those of us with "mental health issues" would get better and more compassionate medical care if our conditions were acknowledged to be as physical as asthma or cancer. Nobody chides the asthmatic who starts wheezing during a marathon for a failure of character.

Cheers