Internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy for anxiety disorders is here to stay
One page on PainSci cites Andrews 2015: Anxiety & Chronic Pain
PainSci commentary on Andrews 2015: ?This page is one of thousands in the PainScience.com bibliography. It is not a general article: it is focused on a single scientific paper, and it may provide only just enough context for the summary to make sense. Links to other papers and more general information are provided wherever possible.
Although the article strongly concludes that iCBT is “here to stay,” it’s based on only a handful of trials, and skepticism is probably justified for now just on too-good-to-be-true principals.
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
Anxiety disorders are common and disabling. Cognitive behavior therapy is the treatment of choice but is often difficult to obtain. Automated, internet-delivered, cognitive behavior therapy (iCBT) courses may be an answer. There are three recent systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials that show that the benefits are substantial (d=1.0) and similar to face to face CBT. There are two large effectiveness trials that demonstrate strong effects when iCBT is used in primary care; 60% of patients who complete the courses no longer meet diagnostic criteria. The courses are suitable for most people with a primary anxiety disorder. Research studies usually exclude people whose anxiety is secondary to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or substance abuse or who are actively suicidal. Little additional input from clinicians is required. Patients find the courses very convenient. Clinically, the principal advantage is the fidelity of the treatment. What you prescribe is what the patient sees.
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
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