Well, not really, but if on line CBT takes off, how will we know when they make the switch?
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) seems to be effective when delivered online in real time by a therapist, with benefits maintained over 8 months. This method of delivery could broaden access to CBT in primary care. These are the conclusions of an article in this week's Global Mental Health special edition of The Lancet, written by Dr David Kessler, NIHR National School for Primary Care Research, University of Bristol and colleagues.
- Log in to post comments
More like this
CNNâs Elizabeth Landau reported yesterday on new research suggesting that online psychotherapy is an effective way to treat depression. The original study, published August 22 in the Lancet by Dr. David Kessler and colleagues in the UK, examined the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (…
If the 1960s film, The Graduate, were to be made today (Graduate, II: The Stimulus), the iconic scene at the party where a friend of the family takes Dustin Hoffman aside and whispers in his ear, "I have only one word for you, Plastics") would be transmogrified into, "I have only three words for…
Extra Gene Copies Were Enough To Make Early Humans' Mouths Water:
To think that world domination could have begun in the cheeks. That's one interpretation of a discovery, published online September 9 in Nature Genetics, which indicates that humans carry extra copies of the salivary amylase gene.…
She's a hospice nurse. When I tell people her occupation, I typically receive a response like this: "She must be a very special person. I could never work in a place where people go to die." Hospice is a "place," and equating hospice to death, are just two of the misperceptions that hospice care…
Mr. Turing, please call your office.
My therapist's name is Eliza.
How does that make you feel?
Did you ask me if your therapist is named Eliza? Please tell me more about that.
Errors detected in source program
Last statement executed was 35344
Execution terminated
Vanilla SNOBOL4 Version 2.14.
(c) Copyright 1984,1988 Catspaw, Inc. All Rights Reserve
I wonder what kind of problems may result from a therapist "dying" during a session...
I thought that was "Computer-Based Training" but if you have a human guided by a computer helping you, it's more likely to be an Expert System--the kind of thing that helps call centre operators tell you what mortgage you can afford or reminds doctors to check for obscure diagnoses. It's a fascinating and largely undeveloped form of technical communication.
Actually, I found the weightwatchers online program to be a good example of online feedback that helps to change behavior. You tell them your dietary choices and they tell you when you've run out of points for the day--constant feedback. It's cheaper and more convenient than going to meetings.
This kind of news makes me very happy. One of the reasons I didn't go into therapy was that almost none of it stood up to testing. CBT has consistently been the one type of therapy that's shown any lasting effects on depression (I really hope they continue to follow up on this study), but it can be pretty intensive. Something like this puts CBT within reach for so many more people.
Also, I have to admit that a therapy that's based on teaching people how to think tickles me to no end.