For people who access treatment for depression via a computer or smartphone, the results of a new study may offer assurance that the therapy can work. The research, published in the journal Psychological Bulletin, reveals that digital technology appears to be effective in reducing symptoms of depression.
The jury’s still out about whether they’re as effective as face-to-face psychotherapy, but digital therapy does offer a promising alternative. Access to mental health treatment is very important, especially because of the growing mental health needs spawned by the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s according to the research published by the American Psychological Association.
“Given the accelerated adoption of digital interventions, it is both timely and important to ask to what extent digital interventions are effective in the treatment of depression, whether they may provide viable alternatives to face-to-face psychotherapy beyond the lab and what are the key factors that moderate outcomes,” says lead author Isaac Moshe from the University of Helsinki.
Digital interventions are different than teletherapy. Teletherapy is when you interact with your healthcare professional via video conferencing or by phone. Digital interventions require you log into a software program, website or app to read, watch, listen to and interact with content structured as a series of modules or lessons. You might have homework or be asked to fill out questionnaires. This info allows your healthcare providers to monitor how you’re doing.
To figure out if the digital approach works, the researchers reviewed 83 studies that tested digital applications for depression. This kind of review is called a meta-analysis. They found the digital method did help improve symptoms of depression, but not as strongly as face-to-face interventions did.
One issue that concerned the researchers is that only about half of the people participating in digital interventions, finished their full treatments. But they say digital interventions may be a way to meet the unmet demand for psychological treatment.
Moshe notes that depression is predicted to be the leading cause of lost life years due to illness by 2030. At the same time, less than 1 in 5 people receive appropriate treatment, and less than 1 in 27 in low-income settings.
The research was published in the journal Psychological Bulletin.
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