ABSTRACT
A number of alternative modes of delivery of CBT have been explored, including interactive systems making use of the new computer technologies. The principles of CBT lend themselves reasonably well to computerisation, and, perhaps surprisingly, patients adapt well to this procedure and do not seem to miss the physical presence of the therapist as much as one might expect. The data to be used in this chapter arise from a clinical trial of an interactive multimedia program known as ‘‘Beat
the Blues’’ (BtB) designed to deliver CBT to depressed patients via a computer. Full details are given in Proudfoot et al. (2002), but in essence BtB is an interactive program using multimedia techniques, in particular video vignettes. The computerbased intervention consists of nine sessions, followed by eight therapy sessions, each lasting about 50 min. Nurses are used to explain how the program works, but they are instructed to spend no more than 5 min with each patient at the start of each session and are there simply to assist with the technology.
