Chatting with Your Therapist: A New Way to Beat the Blues

In the last ten years, texting your therapist has become a popular way to get mental health help. It's like having a therapist in your pocket. You can send a message when you're feeling down or anxious, and they'll get back to you. This can be really helpful for people who are busy or don't want to talk face-to-face.

Text-Based Therapy vs. Video Therapy

A recent study found that text-based therapy can be just as effective as video therapy for people with mild to moderate depression. In the study, 850 adults were split into two groups. One group had weekly video sessions with a therapist, and the other group could text or email their therapist whenever they needed to. After 12 weeks, both groups felt better.

What the Study Didn't Cover

The study didn't look at how long people had been dealing with depression or if they were taking medication. But it did show that text-based therapy can be a good option for people who can't or don't want to do video sessions.

Expert Opinions

Some experts think that text-based therapy could be a good first step for people with mild depression. It's also a good option for people who have trouble going to video appointments. But not everyone is convinced. Some experts say we need more research before we can say for sure that text-based therapy is just as good as video therapy.

Connection and Dropout Rates

One thing to think about is how well you can connect with your therapist if you're only texting. In the study, people who did video sessions felt more connected to their therapists. But people who did text-based therapy were less likely to drop out of the study.