Feasibility of telemedicine intervention for childhood depression
Abstract Context: Childhood depression is associated with high short term and long term morbidity. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for depression has been supported as an effective treatment in the traditional clinic setting. But many families face barriers to depression treatment, including distance to providers, provider shortages, stigma, and other challenges. Telemedicine or interactive televideo offers an innovative way to provide therapy at a distance. The family and therapist see and hear each other in real time using videoconference. Objective: This pilot project evaluated the same cognitive behavioural therapy treatment for childhood depression in two different settings face to face (F2F) or over interactive televideo (ITV) Participants: Twenty eight children with depression and their caregivers completed an eight session, empirically supported CBT course for parent and child. Results: All parent and child CBT skills were implemented successfully over telemedicine. An 82% remission from de.