Friday, October 4, 2013

Internet-based therapy may improve disease control among adults with chronic health conditions

The link between physical and psychological health is well established and psychosocial treatment has been demonstrated to ameliorate the condition of patients with chronic diseases such as epilepsy. This includes improvements in self-management strategies such as compliance to medical regimes and reduction in psychiatric comorbidities like anxiety and depression. Internet-based self-help therapies are growing in number and popularity as they circumvent the typical barriers to treatment like transportation and cost. In the article, "A Systematic Review of Internet Based Self-Help Therapeutic Interventions to Improve Distress and Disease-Control among Adults with Chronic Health Conditions", investigators evaluate the current state of research regarding the efficacy of online educational platforms for a variety of diseases. In the 24 experiments considered, online interventions contributed to improvements of the physical symptoms in many diseases and were often as efficacious as therapist-led interventions. Read the full article here: