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Mental health
Promise of telemedicine for older people with depression and anxiety
  1. Daisy R Singla1,2,3
  1. 1Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  2. 2Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  3. 3Department of Psychiatry and Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  1. Correspondence to Dr Daisy R Singla, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 60 White Squirrel Way, Rm313, Toronto, M6J 1H4, Canada; daisy.singla{at}utoronto.ca

https://doi.org/10.1136/ebnurs-2023-103797

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    Commentary on: de Oliveira PBF, Dornelles TM, Gosmann NP, Camozzato A. Efficacy of telemedicine interventions for depression and anxiety in older people: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2023 May;38(5):e5920. doi: 10.1002/gps.5920.

    Implications for practice and research

    • Evidence-informed psychological treatments are a promising option for older adults suffering from common conditions of depression and anxiety.

    • While preliminary evidence suggests that telemedicine-delivered psychotherapy may be efficacious for older populations in high-income countries, more research is required worldwide and among diverse populations to determine what works for whom and optimal implementation guidelines.

    Context

    Psychological treatments use evidence-based behavioural, cognitive and interpersonal tools to reduce the burden of depression, anxiety and stress-related disorders worldwide. There is growing interest to examine the role of telemedicine-delivered psychological treatments, including among older populations. People 65 years of age and older are the fastest growing segment of the population in many countries, including the UK. The number of older adults …

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    Footnotes

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.