Psychotherapy Via Texts Can Be Just as Effective

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Ref: U.S. News & World Report

Published: 07/24/2024

Psychotherapy Via Texts Can Be Just as Effective
  • Patients with depression who received therapy via text or voice messages fared just as well as those who received weekly video-based telemedicine sessions with a therapist, according to study findings published in the journal Psychiatric Services, as reported by U.S. News & World Report.
  • The study authors believe 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 the study, 215 adults with depression received 12 weeks of telemedicine care from Talkspace. Half of the patients received weekly standard videoconference sessions with a therapist for 30 to 45 minutes, while the other half received therapy via voice or text messages. 
  • After six weeks, roughly the same amount of patients showed "significant symptom improvements."
  • Overall, the researchers found no real differences by the end of the study in outcomes for people who received videoconference therapy or therapy via text/voice messaging, with patients in each group showing similar improvements in anxiety and overall functioning.
  • However, those who were given the message-based therapy stuck with it an average of 7.8 weeks, much longer than the average 4.9 weeks observed among the videoconferencing group.