In a new study, 215 adults with depression received telehealth care from Talkspace over a 12-week period. Fifty percent of the patients had standard sessions with a therapist that lasted 30 to 45 minutes.
The remaining 50% of participants received psychotherapy via voice or text messaging, and were able to communicate with the therapist at any time of day or even every day.
After 6 weeks, approximately the same number of patients in both groups showed significant improvement in symptoms, that is, a decrease of at least 50% in scores on a standard questionnaire aimed at assessing mental health.
At the end of the study, the researchers found no real difference between the two groups. However, those who received therapy via text message stayed in therapy for an average of 7.8 weeks. The average duration for those who participated in video sessions was 4.9 weeks.
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Source: Ferra
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