Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Depression by Telephone

The idea of using the telephone to allow a patient/psychiatrist or patient/psychologist cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) session is not new – 7 years ago there was a report of successful use of this approach for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder.  Now Brigham Young University scientists have completed a small trial of telephone CBT in patients with depression.  Their findings are reported in the journal Behavior Therapy.

The study enrolled 30 patients with newly-diagnosed major depression.  Instead of 8 scheduled clinic visits, they were given the same material during a series of phone calls with their therapist.  The length of calls varied from 21 to 52 minutes.  The patients were not taking antidepressant medication.

After 6 months, 42% of the patients had recovered from their depression.  Similar therapy, but conducted face-to-face, has a 50% recovery rate in this clinic.  This degree of effectiveness was considered to be warranted, due to the avoidance of a commute, more flexibility of place and time, and no overfull waiting rooms.  Most of the participants (69%) were very satisfied with their therapy.  However, telephone therapy may not suit everyone.  A third of eligible patients preferred the psychiatrist’s couch to their own.

I imagine the next step will be the use of Internet phone calls, with the possibility of video (Skype®, for instance).  This may require a little more technological ability from the patient, but it’s likely to result in even more effective patient/therapist communication, and hence better clinical results.