Interesting Abstract About Online Counseling
Medscape Medical News from the • American Psychiatric Association (APA) 2015 Annual Meeting This coverage is not sanctioned by, nor a part of, the American Psychiatric Association. Medscape Psychiatry An Internet Depression Therapy as Effective as Drugs? Bret S. Stetka, MD; Jan Philipp Klein, MD Editor's Note: While browsing a poster session at the American Psychiatric Association's 168th Annual Meeting in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Medscape spoke with Dr Jan Philipp Klein of the Lübeck University (Lübeck, Germany) Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy about the efficacy of a new Internet-based depression therapy. Medscape: What was the objective of your study[1]? Dr Klein: We were interested in studying Internet-based psychological interventions for depression, in part due to the large treatment gap associated with the condition. Many patients don't get adequate treatment for depression. Prior to starting the study we knew that there is an evidence base for psychological Internet interventions in treating depressive symptoms. However, in previous studies, the sample size was much smaller, and depressive symptoms were only self-rated. This was the first study to also include clinician ratings over time. Medscape: How big was the study? Dr Klein: We recruited over 1000 participants with mild to moderate depressive symptoms, and...