Karolinska Study Finds 10-Week Online Therapy Cuts Teen Depression at Lower Cost
Updated
Updated · news.ki.se · Aug 22
Karolinska Study Finds 10-Week Online Therapy Cuts Teen Depression at Lower Cost
2 articles · Updated · news.ki.se · Aug 22
Summary
A 219-patient Swedish trial found therapist-supported internet behavioral activation reduced adolescent depression symptoms more than usual care at a three-month follow-up after 10 weeks of treatment.
Clinician ratings were blinded, and both online options cost less than standard care; the self-guided version was the cheapest, though its symptom advantage over usual care was not statistically significant.
Karolinska researchers said the main result was not fully robust because an alternative statistical model erased the therapist-supported treatment’s significance, while other analyses favored both internet-based approaches.
The study, published in BMJ Mental Health, is described as the first larger randomized trial of behavioral activation for adolescent depression to include a health-economic evaluation, with longer-term follow-up still pending.