Evidence of Phone vs Video-Conferencing for Mental Health Treatments: A Review of the Literature

Authors

Patricia V Chen
Ashley Helm
Steve G Caloudas
Anthony Ecker
Giselle Day
Julianna Hogan
Jan Lindsay

Publication Date

10-1-2022

Journal

Current Psychiatry Reports

DOI

10.1007/s11920-022-01359-8

PMID

36053400

PMCID

PMC9437398

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

9-2-2022

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-Print

Published Open-Access

yes

Keywords

Humans, Mental Disorders, Mental Health, Psychotherapy, Telemedicine, Videoconferencing

Abstract

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The goal of this paper is to provide a comparative review of using phone (audio-only) or video for mental health treatments. Our review includes evidence of phone and video's effectiveness in terms of reduced symptomology, retention, satisfaction, therapeutic alliance, and other outcomes of interest. This review also discusses how patients and providers' experiences and attitudes differ between these two modalities. Finally, we present information on different usage rates of phone and video across patient populations and mental health provider types, and different implementation strategies.

RECENT FINDINGS: Treatments through phone and video are both able to reduce symptoms related to mental health conditions and have both been found to be non-inferior to in-person care. Both phone and video are more convenient to patients. Video offers important visual information that can be important to diagnosing mental health conditions. Phone, however, is more broadly accessible and may come with fewer technological issues. In the context of mental health care, where non-verbal cues are tied to symptomology and diagnosing, and a strong relationship between patient and provider can enhance treatment, we encourage the use of video, especially for psychotherapeutic services. However, as phone is more accessible, we ultimately recommend an accommodating approach, one that flexibly makes use of both phone and video. Future studies on telehealth should focus on direct, head-to-head comparisons between phone and video and conduct more rigorous testing on whether clinical differences exist.