Telephone Therapy Shows Promise

Kaiser Health News (KHN) ran a story Telephone Therapy Helps Older People In Underserved Rural Areas, Study Finds, that reports that “[t]herapy provided over the phone lowered symptoms of anxiety and depression among older adults in rural areas with a lack of mental health services…. The option is important, one expert said, because seniors often have increased need for treatment as they cope with the effects of disease and the emotional tolls of aging and loss.” 

The folks in the study suffered from generalized anxiety disorder. Fifty percent of the participants “received cognitive behavioral therapy, which focused on the recognition of anxiety symptoms, relaxation techniques, problem solving and other coping techniques.” The remaining fifty percent received “less intensive phone therapy in which mental health professionals provided support for participants to discuss their feelings but offered no suggestions for coping.”  The results show that both groups benefited from the therapy but those in the first group did better.

There are roadblocks to using phone therapy, according to the article.  “Medicare only pays for telehealth services done in rural areas with provider shortages; patients cannot do a phone call in their home, but must drive to a physician’s office or hospital to connect with the mental health professional at another site” according to a Professor quoted in the article. As well, some states require those who are providing “medical care must be licensed in the state where the patient resides.”

The study, Telephone-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Telephone-Delivered Nondirective Supportive Therapy for Rural Older Adults With Generalized Anxiety Disorder was published in JAMA Psychiatry and is available here.