Folks with depression who got therapy via text or voice messages fared just as well as those who got weekly video-based telemedicine sessions with a therapist, a new trial has found.

The findings “suggest that psychotherapy delivered via text messages may be a viable alternative to face-to-face or videoconferencing delivery and may allow for more immediate on-demand care,” in a time when it’s often tough for people to access mental health care, the study authors wrote.

  • Mighty@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    18
    ·
    3 months ago

    Here’s the interesting point:

    Half of the patients received weekly standard videoconference sessions with a therapist for 30 to 45 minutes.

    The other half received psychotherapy delivered via voice or text messages, where patients could interact with the therapist whenever and how often they wanted.

    So it’s not text Vs in-person. It’s also “whenever and how often they wanted” How tf do therapists do that? Texting 24/7 with dozens of people?

    Also the study had 215 people. So 100+ per group. Not that big.

    I think this study rather shows how important in-person therapy is. Since it shows that texting or video calls are comparably (non-)effective