Evaluating the Evidence for Online Interventions in Mental Health Care

This article reviews literature on the evidence for online interventions in treating adults with mental health issues. The authors discuss the benefits and limitations of delivering interventions remotely, as well as evaluate the evidence base for online treatments such as computerized cognitive-behavior therapy and psychoeducation. Some previous reviews about online interventions for mental health needs neglected to include research on remotely delivered family and caregiver interventions; therefore, this article explores that treatment modality. Caregiver interventions examined in this article include online psychoeducation and skills training, which demonstrate promising evidence of improved caregiver coping and knowledge about the patient's illness. Additionally, the authors provide suggestions for future research, such as investigation into the pre and posttreatment psychological well-being of patients to further ascertain the impact of online caregiver interventions.