Instant-Message Therapy for Depression

One type of online psychotherapy can help people with depression, a new study concludes. The study included nearly 300 British patients. They were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group received standard care from a general practitioner. The other also received online cognitive behavioral therapy. This is a form of psychotherapy. The therapist and patient “talked” through instant messaging in real time. There were 10 weekly sessions. Each lasted 55 minutes. After eight months, 42% of the online therapy group had recovered. About 26% of the other group recovered. The authors said the convenience of this approach could encourage treatment. They said it also could help in areas with little access to in-person psychotherapy. The study appeared in the journal Lancet. HealthDay News wrote about it August 20.