An average waiting time of five months
The demand for psychotherapy in Germany has been around 40 percent higher since the Corona crisis than before, says the German Psychotherapists Association. But there are not enough therapy places; on average, people with psychological problems wait five months for treatment. Online offers can bridge waiting times for some conditions. Although the programs cannot replace psychotherapy, they can complement it in some cases.
Tipp: Our special How to Find a Psychotherapy Place offers in-depth information.
Proven benefit for anxiety and depression
A study in the journal Nature Mental Health now shows that online offers can shorten treatment times and provide acute support for those who are seriously ill, especially for anxiety disorders and depression.
A team led by researchers from the University of York evaluated data from 27,540 British patients with the main diagnosis of depression or anxiety disorder. They claimed internet-based therapy or other form of therapy.
Requirements for digital psychotherapy
Under certain conditions, a psychotherapist has the opportunity to also treat their patients per Videosprechstunde to treat – if direct personal contact with the patient is not necessary from a therapeutic point of view. The prerequisite for a video session is, among other things, that a personal initial contact took place and one Eingangsdiagnostik was provided. Therapy via video is also possible for acute treatments and group therapies possible. Further information can be found in the online doctor special.
In Germany there are apps available on prescription
In this country, too, those affected can find online psychotherapy. Controlled offers are digital health applications (Diga). The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, BfArM, permanently includes them in the Diga directory if a “positive supply effect” is proven.
With Diga, a computer program conveys the content chapter by chapter, and users work through it independently and regardless of time and place – in the browser or an app. Sometimes they discuss things now and then with a therapist who connects digitally.
Tipp: Doctors and psychotherapists prescribe Diga. Anyone who presents the health insurance company with proof of diagnosis, such as a doctor’s letter, can also receive it.
Digas in the test
We also regularly evaluate approved Digas as part of our app tests. We judged such programs positively, among other things, in testing apps for anxiety disorders and online programs for depression.