Online programs to fight depression are already commercially available. While they sound efficient and cost-saving, a recent study reports that they are not effective, primarily because depressed patients are not likely to engage with them or stick with them.
The study looked at computer-assisted cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and found that it was no more effective in treating depression than the usual care patients receive from a primary care doctor.
Traditional CBT is considered an effective form of talk therapy for depression, helping people challenge negative thoughts and change the way they think in order to change their mood and behaviors. However, online CBT programs have been gaining popularity, with the attraction of providing low-cost help wherever someone has access to a computer.
A team of researchers from the University of York conducted a randomized control trial with 691 depressed patients from 83 physician practices across England. The patients were split into three groups: one group received only usual care from a physician while the other two groups received usual care from a physician plus one of two computerized CBT programs. Participants were balanced across the three groups for age, sex, educational background, severity and duration of depression, and use of antidepressants.
After four months, the patients using the computerized CBT programs had no improvement in depression levels over the patients who were only getting usual care from their doctors.
““It’s an important, cautionary note that we shouldn’t get too carried away with the idea that a computer system can replace doctors and therapists,” says Christopher Dowrick, a professor of primary medical care at the University of Liverpool. “We do still need the human touch or the human interaction, particularly when people are depressed.”
Being depressed can mean feeling “lost in your own small, negative, dark world”, Dowrick says. Having a person, instead of a computer, reach out to you is particularly important in combating that sense of isolation. “When you’re emotionally vulnerable, you’’re even more in need of a caring human being,” he says.
1. What does the recent study say about online CBT programs?
2. What has made online CBT programs increasingly popular?
3. What is the major finding by researchers at the University of York?
4. What is Professor Dowrick’s advice concerning online CBT programs?
问题1选项
A.Patients may not be able to carry them through for effective cure.
B.Patients cannot engage with them without the use of a computer.
C.They can save patients trouble visiting physicians.
D.They have been well received by a lot of patients.
问题2选项
A.Their effectiveness in combating depression.
B.The low efficiency of traditional talk therapy.
C.Their easy and inexpensive access by patients.
D.The recommendation by primary care doctors.
问题3选项
A.Online CBT programs are no more effective than regular care from physicians.
B.The process of treating depression is often more complicated than anticipated.
C.The combination of traditional CBT and computerized CBT is most effective.
D.Depression is a mental condition which is to be treated with extreme caution.
问题4选项
A.They should not be neglected in primary care.
B.Their effectiveness should not be overestimated.
C.They should be used by strictly following instructions.
D.Their use should be encouraged by doctors and therapists.
第1题:
【选项释义】
What does the recent study say about online CBT programs? 最近的研究就CBT项目说了什么？
A. Patients may not be able to carry them through for effective cure. A. 病人可能无法利用CBT进行有效的治疗。
B. Patients cannot engage with them without the use of a computer. B. 病人不使用电脑就不能与之接触。
C. They can save patients trouble visiting physicians. C. CBT可以节省病人看医生的麻烦。
D. They have been well received by a lot of patients. D. CBT受到了很多病人的欢迎。
【答案】A
【考查点】事实细节题
【解题思路】定位到第一段，第二句话指出“最近的一项研究报告称，它们并不有效，主要是因为抑郁症患者不太可能参与或坚持使用它们”，A选项对应原文，符合题干，因此A选项正确。
【干扰项排除】B、C、D均不属于题干关键词“最近的研究”（recent study）对CBT的报告，不符合题干要求，且文中并未提到选项内容，属于无中生有。
第2题:
【选项释义】
What has made online CBT programs increasingly popular? 是什么让在线CBT项目越来越受欢迎？
A. Their effectiveness in combating depression. A. CBT在对抗抑郁方面的有效性
B. The low efficiency of traditional talk therapy. B. 传统谈话疗法的低效率
C. Their easy and inexpensive access by patients. C. 患者获取CBT的渠道轻易而廉价
D. The recommendation by primary care doctors. D. 初级保健医生的建议
【答案】C
【考查点】事实细节题
【解题思路】题干定位到第三段，最后一句话指出“然而，随着人们在任何有电脑的地方（wherever someone has access to a computer）都能获得低成本（low-cost help）的帮助，在线CBT项目越来越受欢迎。”C选项对应原文，符合题干，因此C选项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A、B选项文中并未提及，属于无中生有；
D选项体现在第二段，但与题干无关，属于出处错位。
第3题:
【选项释义】
What is the major finding by researchers at the University of York? 约克大学研究人员的主要发现是什么?
A. Online CBT programs are no more effective than regular care from physicians. A. 在线CBT项目并不比医生的常规治疗更有效。
B. The process of treating depression is often more complicated than anticipated. B. 治疗抑郁症的过程往往比预期的更复杂。
C. The combination of traditional CBT and computerized CBT is most effective. C. 传统CBT和计算机化CBT的结合是最有效的。
D. Depression is a mental condition which is to be treated with extreme caution. D. 抑郁症是一种精神状态，需要非常谨慎地对待。
【答案】A
【考查点】推理判断题
【解题思路】题干可定位到第五段“四个月后，与那些只接受医生常规治疗的患者相比，接受CBT项目治疗的患者的抑郁程度没有改善”，说明CBT项目并没有医生常规治疗有效，对应A选项，因此A选项正确。
【干扰项排除】B、C、D选项文中并未提到，属于无中生有。
第4题:
【选项释义】
What is Professor Dowrick’s advice concerning online CBT programs? 多利克教授对CBT项目有什么建议？
A. They should not be neglected in primary care. A. 初级保健中不应该忽视它们。
B. Their effectiveness should not be overestimated. B. 其效力不应该被高估。
C. They should be used by strictly following instructions. C. 应该严格按照说明使用它们。
D. Their use should be encouraged by doctors and therapists. D. 其使用应该被医生和治疗师鼓励。
【答案】B
【考查点】推理判断题
【解题思路】题干内容可定位到倒数第二段，多利克教授提到：“这是一个重要的、警告性的注意，我们不应该过分相信计算机系统可以取代医生和治疗师。我们仍然需要人际接触或人际互动，尤其是在人们抑郁的时候。”由此可得出结论，我们不应该高估CBT的作用，对应B选项，因此B选项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项出现在第二段，原文是说CBT在治疗抑郁症方面并不比初级保健医生给予的常规治疗更有效，因此A选项属于曲解原文；
C、D选项原文并未提到，属于无中生有。
