Text-based psychotherapy may be as effective as live video sessions in treating depression, according to a new study from the University of Washington.
The study was published on October 30. JAMA Network Opencompared the outcomes of 850 adults who received message-based psychotherapy or weekly video therapy through the online platform Talkspace.
Researchers found that both groups of patients showed similar improvements in depression symptoms and social functioning.
“We found that patients improved at similar rates regardless of whether they communicated with their therapists through messaging or live video calls,” said Patricia A. Areán, a retired UW professor of psychiatry and senior author of the study. “This supports the use of text-based therapy as a viable, evidence-based method for treating the millions of Americans who suffer from depression each year.”
Participants were randomly assigned to one of two treatment formats for 12 weeks.
Those who did not respond to treatment after six weeks were reassigned to receive a combination of the two approaches.
By the end of the study, the results were virtually identical for both formats.
Researchers also found that patients in the video therapy group were slightly more likely to drop out early, while patients using text-based therapy were often more active participants for reasons of flexibility and convenience.
“Depression is one of the leading causes of disability and death worldwide,” said lead author Michael Pullmann, a former UW research professor of psychiatry and now senior program director at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Institute in Washington, D.C. “Message-based psychotherapy can help practitioners reach patients who might not otherwise receive treatment.”
Expanding insurance coverage for message-based care could make care more accessible to millions of people who struggle to find in-person care or live virtual care, the authors said.
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