By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on September 23, 2008

A new study discovers psychotherapy administered over phone lines improves adherence to therapy for depression .

The finding is significant as patients often quit going to therapy after a few sessions. In other words, therapy can’t work if patients stop coming to the therapist’s office.

But a new meta-analysis has found that when patients receive psychotherapy for depression over the phone, most of them continue with the therapy.

Researchers from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine have taken the first “snapshot” of telephone-administered therapy studies around the country. Telephone therapy is becoming more widely used by health care providers and employee-assistance programs.

The new study found that the average attrition rate in the telephone therapy was only 7.6 percent compared to nearly 50 percent in face-to-face therapy. The telephone therapy also was effective in reducing depressive symptoms with results that appear to be similar to face-to-face treatment.

“The problem with face-to-face treatment has always been very few people who can benefit from it actually receive it because of emotional and structural barriers,” said David Mohr, professor of preventive medicine at the Feinberg School and lead author of the study, published in the September issue of Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice.

“The telephone is a tool that allows the therapists to reach out to patients, rather than requiring that patients reach out to therapists.”

Mohr said that of the patients who say they want psychotherapy, only 20 percent actually show up for a referral and half later drop out of treatment.

“One of the symptoms of depression is people lose motivation,” Mohr said. “It’s hard for them to do the things they are supposed to do. Showing up for appointme...