A review of technology-assisted self-help and minimal contact therapies for anxiety and depression: is human contact necessary for therapeutic efficacy?
Technology-based self-help and minimal contact therapies have been proposed as effective and low-cost interventions for anxiety and mood disorders. The present article reviews the literature published before 2010 on these treatments for anxiety and depression using self-help and decreased therapist-contact interventions. Treatment studies are examined by disorder as well as amount of therapist contact, ranging from self-administered therapy and predominantly self-help interventions to minimal contact therapy where the therapist is actively involved in treatment but to a lesser degree than traditional therapy and predominantly therapist-administered treatments involving regular contact with a therapist for a typical number of sessions. In the treatment of anxiety disorders, it is concluded that self-administered and predominantly self-help interventions are most effective for motivated clients. Conversely, minimal-contact therapies have demonstrated efficacy for the greatest variety of anxiety diagnoses when accounting for both attrition and compliance. Additionally, predominantly self-help computer-based cognitive and behavioral interventions are efficacious in the treatment of subthreshold mood disorders. However, therapist-assisted treatments remain optimal in the treatment of clinical levels of depression. Although the most efficacious amount of therapist contact varies by disorder, computerized treatments have been shown to be a less-intensive, cost-effective way to deliver empirically validated treatments for a variety of psychological problems.
Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802-3103, United States. mgn1@psu.edu
Michelle G
MG
Newman
Lauren E
LE
Szkodny
Sandra J
SJ
Llera
Amy
A
Przeworski
D001007:Anxiety / Q000628:therapy*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D013813:Therapy, Computer-Assisted; D016896:Treatment Outcome