Can Cognitive Therapy Be Conducted by Computers?

This report examines research comparing computer-assisted therapy for major depression and anxiety disorders with controls and other treatments. Overall, results indicate moderate treatment effect sizes as compared to wait-list controls and equivalent results when compared to therapist-delivered treatment. However, dropout rates tend to be high with little clinician involvement and some studies show treatment effects attenuating in the long term. Additional and methodologically stronger studies are needed. Future directions may include integration of computer-assisted methods into clinics and training settings, capitalizing on opportunities that technology offers to improve treatment outcome and better educating clinicians about computer-assisted treatments.
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research