Research by British scientists suggests that cybercognitive behavioral therapy is more cost-effective and similar to standard medical care.These findings, based on a large sample of NHS England users, suggest that online cognitive behavioural therapy has a shorter waiting time than traditional services.The study was recently published in Nature - Mental Health.
Common mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety, cause emotional anxiety and affect social and professional functions.People with mental disorders are more likely to use primary and secondary health care, and the associated costs vary according to the disorder and severity.Many studies have focused on the health economics of mental health care on widespread anxiety and severe depression, but lack an understanding of the cost-benefit of different treatments for these diseases.
Ana Catarino and colleagues at Cambridge University analyzed data from 27,540 patients whose initial diagnosis was depression or anxiety to assess the main cost drivers of different treatment options for depression and general anxiety disorder.They built health-economic models that documented a range of costs associated with conditions of varying severity.
The main cost drivers, the researchers found, were treatment outcomes, the time from referral to completion, and treatment-related costs.Cyber-cognitive behavioral therapy allows patients to get treatment faster, showing similar levels of recovery over a shorter period of time – about half the time spent on traditional treatments.At the same time, the cost savings in depression are greater than anxiety, and more serious conditions are also greater due to increased background costs.
The researchers concluded that the findings might inform policymaking on mental health services and access to treatment.But they point out that the findings are based on data from England and more research is needed to better understand the costs and benefits of different services.