Personal Attention to Those In Need is Great Medicine
New Therapy on Depression Finds Phone Is EffectiveBy BENEDICT CAREY
Published: August 25, 2004
Debates about the safety and effectiveness of treatments for depression miss a basic reality about the disease: most people affected by it do not seek help at all, and those who do commonly neglect to complete counseling or drug regimens recommended by doctors. For at least a third of the people who try them, treatments of any kind fall short, surveys show.
But improving success rates may be a matter of picking up the phone, according to a report today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In a large-scale, 18-month study, doctors in Seattle found that they could significantly increase recovery rates for patients taking antidepressants by providing several 30- to 40-minute counseling sessions over the phone.
In previous studies, researchers showed that phone calls from nurses or other clinic staff members providing emotional support could help people trying to quit smoking, stay on medication or shake low moods. The Seattle study is the first to test the effect of a standardized form of counseling, cognitive behavior therapy, delivered entirely over the phone.
It is not clear from the study whether phone counseling will be equally helpful for everyone with depression....
By the end of the study, 80 percent of those who had received phone therapy said their depression was "much improved," compared with 55 percent of those who were given usual care. Of those who received encouragement by phone but not explicit therapy, 66 percent said they were "much improved."
The researchers do not know what component of the phone therapy made it effective or whether the increased attention itself made patients feel better. But for therapists trying to treat patients who are overwhelmed or hard to reach-single parents, low-income people. for example - the study may provide an alternative to in-person care.
posted by Richard at
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
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