A recent study published in JAMA Network Open shows text-based therapy is as effective as video calls for treating depression, potentially transforming mental health care accessibility.
New research published in JAMA Network Open reveals that text-based psychotherapy can effectively treat depression, rivaling traditional live video sessions. The study offers promising news for the millions of individuals battling depression each year, highlighting greater accessibility and flexibility in mental health care.
The study analyzed outcomes from 850 adults who received either message-based psychotherapy or weekly video-based psychotherapy through the online mental health platform, Talkspace.
The findings indicate that both methods yielded comparable improvements in depression symptoms and social functioning over a 12-week period.
“We found that patients improved at similar rates, regardless of whether they were communicating with their therapist through messaging or live video calls,” senior author Patricia A. Areán, a retired professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said in a news release. “This supports the use of text-based therapy as a viable, evidence-based way to treat the millions of Americans who experience depression every year.”
The participants were initially randomized into one of the two therapy formats. Those who showed no improvement after six weeks were re-randomized to include a combination of both modalities.
Remarkably, both groups of participants exhibited comparable improvements by the end of the trial.
Lead author Michael Pullmann, a former research professor of psychiatry at the UW School of Medicine, emphasized the significance of these findings, particularly for patients with limited access to traditional therapy formats.
“Depression is one of the leading causes of disability and mortality worldwide,” Pullmann, now a senior program officer in implementation science at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute in Washington, D.C., said in the news release. “Message-based psychotherapy can help practitioners reach patients who may not otherwise be able to access care.”
The researchers highlighted that text-based therapy’s flexibility could encourage greater ongoing engagement, while patients receiving live video therapy were slightly more likely to disengage early.
This research points to the potential benefits of expanding insurance coverage to include text-based therapy, making depression treatment more accessible to a broader population.