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Treating depression with video conference calls may offer symptom improvement similar to in-person visits, a recent U.S. study suggests.

Even though depression affects roughly one in 10 Americans and is a leading cause of death and disability, close to half of patients with depression don’t get treatment, researchers note in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

When depression goes untreated, it’s often because people can’t overcome issues with mobility, travel distance, transportation costs or time off work – all of which may be addressed by telemedicine.

“Advantages of telemental health treatment include reducing stigma, improving access for patients located in remote locations, and enhancing services to those with chronic health problems that restrict their mobility.”

“Based on results of this study and prior research, telemedicine is a highly relevant option to address the needs of rural patients or those living in remote locations, while providing patient satisfaction and quality of life similar to that provided by in-person treatment delivered at clinics,” said lead study author Dr. Leonard Egede, a researcher at the at the Medical University of South Carolina and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston.

– Lisa Rapaport

Read more: Telemedicine may work as well as in-person visits for depression