A self-guided relaxation module for telepsychiatric services: development, usefulness, and feasibility.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Mental Healthcare
• Telemedicine

Background:

• Telepsychiatry aims to extend mental healthcare to remote areas using non-specialists.
• A modified, simplified autogenic relaxation exercise, Self-Guided Relaxation (SGR), was developed for this purpose.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and evaluation of the Self-Guided Relaxation (SGR) technique.
• To assess the feasibility and usefulness of SGR for patients with psychiatric disorders and its learnability by non-specialists.

Main Methods:

• SGR, a systematic muscle-focusing relaxation technique, was taught to 37 patients over two sessions.
• Patient outcomes were measured using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) and visual analog scales.
• Non-specialists were trained in SGR using audiovisual aids and printed instructions.

Main Results:

• Consistent reduction in HAM-A scores observed during the one-month follow-up.
• Patients reported improvements in relaxation depth, perceived benefit, adherence, and satisfaction.
• Most patients, relatives, and therapists found SGR easy to learn and administer after a single 30-minute session.

Conclusions:

• Preliminary findings indicate SGR is useful, feasible, and well-accepted.
• SGR shows potential as a net-based psychological intervention, warranting further research.
• The technique's simplicity and effectiveness support its use in telepsychiatry settings.