Folks with depression who got therapy via text or voice messages fared just as well as those who got weekly video-based telemedicine sessions with a therapist, a new trial has found.
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 a time when it’s often tough for people to access mental health care, the study authors wrote.
Here’s the interesting point:
The other half received psychotherapy delivered via voice or text messages, where patients could interact with the therapist whenever and how often they wanted.
So it’s not text Vs in-person. It’s also “whenever and how often they wanted” How tf do therapists do that? Texting 24/7 with dozens of people?
Also the study had 215 people. So 100+ per group. Not that big.
I think this study rather shows how important in-person therapy is. Since it shows that texting or video calls are comparably (non-)effective