Study Finds Benefits of Texting with a Therapist

Study finds benefits of texting with a therapist

A growing number of Americans are turning to therapy by text message, and new research suggests it can be just as effective as traditional video sessions.

Can Texting Your Therapist Work? New Study Says Yes

Key Takeaways

Text or video? Which is better for treating depression?

A new study out of the University of Washington (UW) said message-based therapy — things like texts, emails, even voice memos — is just as effective as video sessions when it comes to treating depression. Researchers followed 850 adults over 12 weeks. Whether patients received help through messages or face-to-face video chats, the results were essentially the same. There were some differences, though: more people chose message-based therapy, but…

For mild depression, texting with a therapist works as well as video sessions, study finds

Therapy via email and text is as effective as video appointments for mild depression, a new study says. Expanding insurance coverage for text-based therapy could improve outcomes, according to the researchers.

A simple text exchange might be enough to help improve depression symptoms

One in five American adults are living with a mental illness

UW study finds text-based therapy just as effective as video sessions for depression

Researchers also found that patients in the video therapy group were slightly more likely to drop out early