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Efficacy of Virtual Care for Depressive Disorders: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Crystal Edler Schiller1, Julianna Prim1, Anna E Bauer1
1Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
JMIR Mental Health
|January 9, 2023
Summary
Virtual interventions effectively treat depression compared to control groups. Evidence suggests virtual and in-person treatments offer similar outcomes for depressive disorders.
Area of Science:
- Mental Health
- Digital Health
- Psychiatry
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic increased depression rates and the need for remote mental healthcare.
- Evidence supporting virtual interventions for mental health remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of virtual interventions for depressive disorders.
- To compare virtual interventions against no treatment, treatment as usual (TAU), and attention control.
- To compare virtual interventions against in-person interventions.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO (2010-2021).
- Included adults with depressive disorders receiving virtual interventions, assessed with validated depression measures.
- Analyzed remission, response, and depression severity using odds ratios (ORs) and standardized mean differences (SMDs).
Main Results:
- Virtual interventions showed higher odds of remission and lower symptom severity compared to waitlist controls.
- Virtual interventions were superior to treatment as usual (TAU) and attention control groups.
- No significant difference in outcomes between in-person and virtual interventions was found.
Conclusions:
- Virtual interventions are efficacious for treating depressive disorders compared to various control conditions.
- The strength of evidence indicates in-person interventions do not significantly outperform virtual ones for depression.
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