The National Institute of Mental Health has enlisted UT’s School of Social Work to fight against depression in the homebound elderly.
The school received a $680,000 grant to study the feasibility of “telehealth,” or video conferencing, problem-solving treatment in older homebound individuals who suffer from depression.
Clinically significant depressive symptoms were found in 17.3 percent of the 762 elderly screened for depression by the case managers of the Meals on Wheels and More program, and 8.4 percent likely had a major depressive disorder.
Namkee Choi, UT School of Social Work professor and head of research, said that she met most of the clients who will receive the therapy as a Meals on Wheels volunteer.
“When you deliver meals in the homes, and go and talk, you see a lot of depression,” Choi said. “I mean, who wouldn’t be depressed if you were homebound, right?”
Choi said older adults are less likely to want to take anti-depression medication because of the host of other medications they may already be taking.
“I did a lot of research on what these older adults really like to do: Do they like to take anti-depression medication? Do they like psychotherapy?” she said.
The study tests and compares whether psychotherapy delivered through video conferencing methods would be as effective as face-to-face therapy.
“Feasibility is a really big issue,” Choi said. “We are trying to see what type of adaptations and improvements need to be made in order to benefit our clients more.”
Video conferencing is very common amongst psychotherapy practitioners, Choi said.
Veterans have been receiving mental health counseling online for years, she added.
“If you are a veteran and you are suffering from depression, you still have to go to a clinic, where the video conferencing station is set up,” Choi said. “But I am really testing if this video conferencing method delivered right into the home can be effective.”
The research team, comprised of two licensed master-level social workers, Mary Lynn Marinucci and Leslie Sirianni, are looking for a low-cost, effective way to treat depression in the elderly.
Over the next three years, psychotherapy will be administered to three groups of participants older than 50 years of age. Research and analysis will help Choi’s team find the most effective form of treatment, she said.
Choi said that using video conferencing therapy may double and even triple the amount of people that can be treated.
“The problem is, there’s not enough work force,” she said. “We can’t have enough psychologists or social workers to go to each individual’s home.”
Be the first to comment on this article!