An estimated one fourth of Americans suffer from an anxiety disorder, and of those, 2.2 million suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), which can be particularly debilitating, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Two Drexel professors claim that the solution to this urgent medical need can be found in using home videoconferencing tools like Skype for therapy.
Despite the prevalence of anxiety disorders, many medical professionals are unsure of how to deliver effective, non-medication treatments and many patients do not have access to the care they need. According to the directors of Drexel’s Anxiety Treatment and Research Program, Dr. James Herbert and Dr. Evan Forman, user-friendly and low-cost videoconferencing technologies can help to solve this problem, especially for those who are otherwise unable to access psychological help.
OCD is a serious disorder that accounts for about $8.4 billion per year in social and economic losses in the United States. Herbert, Forman, and Drexel doctoral student, Elizabeth Goetter designed and have begun to employ therapies for OCD patients through Skype. The Drexel researchers believe that technologies like Skype have the potential to revolutionize how therapy is administered, especially in cases such as OCD, where patients require highly specialized mental health therapies.
Videoconferencing therapy is more convenient, cost-effective, and can make quality mental health care more widely available to individuals who need it, researchers say. Also, researchers add, the rapidly evolving nature of these technologies makes them increasingly practical means to treat patients with anxiety disorders.
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