Benefits of Internet Based Cognitive Behavior Therapy

ALPHA OMEGA CLINIC

BENEFITS OF INTERNET BASED COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY Mental Health Care & Clinic

7007 BRADLEY BOULEVARD,BETHESDA, MD 20817 GET AN APPOINTMENT FOR ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION TREATMENT, please visit our site at https://aoclinic.org/

The pandemic pushed much of medical care to online, virtual platforms, virtually overnight. But is Internet-based health care, particularly mental health care, a safe and viable option? A new study published in JAMA Psychiatry looked at the effects of Internet versus face-to-face cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for health anxiety.

“Severe health anxiety, sometimes referred to as hypochondriasis, is a common and often debilitating problem with substantial economic consequences,” study author Erland Axelsson told us. “Conventional face-to-face CBT can be highly efficacious for individuals with health anxiety.”

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 40 million adults in the United States suffer from an anxiety disorder, making it the most common mental illness for Americans.

Approximately two-thirds of patients respond to treatment, and every other patient reaches a point where he or she no longer suffers from severe health anxiety. However, access to face-to-face CBT is poor.

“Previous studies have shown promising effects of Internetdelivered cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT), which requires much less therapist time, and that can easily be administered across geographical distances,” Axelsson told us. “This was the first randomized controlled trial where ICBT was compared directly to face-to-face CBT in the treatment of health anxiety, so as to assess if ICBT is noninferior (i.e., more or less on par with) face-to-face treatment. ”The primary hypothesis of the researchers was that ICBT would be non-inferior to face-to-face CBT in its effect on health anxiety. The study was conducted at a primary care clinic in Stockholm, Sweden, where 204 individuals who suffered from health anxiety were recruited.

“All patients were randomized to receive either 12 weeks of ICBT or 12 weeks of conventional, face-to-face CBT,” Axelsson told us. “Patients in both treatments were encouraged to work with the same behavioral strategies and exercises, and the treatments differed only in their delivery format

Contact us via (301) 767-1733 or info@reallyaoclinic.org to schedule a online cognitive Behavior Therapy or telemental health counseling Check out the full list of Licenced Psychologist at www.aoclinic.org