Telehealth therapy can help reduce risk of suicide Cognitive behavioral therapy delivered virtually reduces people’s suicidal thoughts and behaviors More therapy is being delivered virtually WEDNESDAY, Nov. 13, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Therapy provided via telehealth can reduce a person’s risk of suicide, a new study reports. Cognitive behavior therapy reduces suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts even if delivered for a short time via telehealth, according to results published Nov.
12 in the jouirnal JAMA Network Open . That's good news, given that therapy these days is more often delivered virtually, said researcher Justin Baker , a clinical psychologist at Ohio State University. “The impetus for this research question was the nearly overnight shift from mostly in-person to mostly virtual therapy appointments following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Baker said in an Ohio State news release.
“Historically, high-risk patients were considered inappropriate candidates for virtual healthcare, due to risk and liability concerns.” For the study, researchers randomly assigned 96 U.S.
adults to randomly receive via telehealth either: Suicide-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, which taught them how to manage and change distressing emotions and negative thinking Present-centered therapy, which helps participants respond to stresses in their life Present-centered therapy has been proven an effective way to reduce depression and suicidal thoughts, researchers noted.