New research by Dr. Nazanin Alavi, a psychiatry resident at Queen's University in Canada, found that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) delivered via email appears effective in treating general anxiety disorder (GAD). 

All people who volunteered to take part in the study were assessed by an online chat interview. 62 subjects met the DSM-IV criteria for GAD and were all asked to complete the DSM-IV criteria for GAD and were all asked to complete the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI).

Researchers followed 62 people diagnosed with GAD. All the participants were Farsi-speaking and lived inside or outside Iran. 31 participants were randomly assigned to 12 email-based CBT sessions while the other group served as a control. After six- and twelve- month evaluations, anxiety symptoms significantly improved in people who received online cognitive behavioral therapy compared to the group who did not receive any treatment. The BAI scores between these two groups were not significantly different before the treatment. There was no significant changes in BAI score in the control group.

This new approach to CBT is important in order to overcome potential barriers to accessing treatment. Around the world these barriers include shortages of mental health professionals and increasing wait times in large urban areas, lack of access to professional mental health care in remote areas, and language and cultural barriers faced by immigrants who may feel more comfortable working with a mental health professional from their home country.

This study was presented at the American Psychiatric Association's 166th annual meeting in San Francisco, California, USA.