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Clinical efficacy of computerized
cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety and depression in
primary care: randomized controlled trial. The
British Journal of Psychiatry (2004) 185:46-54.
Proudfoot, J., Ryden, C., Shapiro, D., Goldberg, D.,
Marks, I. Gray, J.
If you have agoraphobia, then e-therapy might be as
effective (or more) than live therapy, or so a 2004
study suggests.
This study demonstrated the effectiveness of
computerized cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for
treating anxiety and depression in a clinical setting.
This study was specifically designed to determine which
clinical or demographic variables have an influence on
the effectiveness of computerized cognitive-behavioral
therapy.
A sample of 274 patients with anxiety and/or depression
were randomly assigned to four experimental groups:
1) Computerized CBT with medication
2)
Computerized CBT without medication.
3) Traditional CBT with medication.
4) Traditional CBT without medication
A follow-up assessment was conducted after a period of
six months.
The computerized therapy improved depression, negative
attributional style, work and social adjustment, without
interaction with drug treatment, duration of
pre-existing illness or severity of existing illness. In
other words, the computerized CBT improved depressed
patients more than traditional CBT regardless of other
factors.
For anxiety, computerized CBT was more effective than
traditional CBT in more severe cases. The more severe
the anxiety disorder, the more effective computerized
CBT was in comparison with traditional CBT.
Computerized CBT also led to greater satisfaction with
treatment.
In conclusion, computerized CBT was found to be a widely
applicable treatment for anxiety and depression in the
clinical setting.
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