For depressed people who can’t see a therapist in person because they’re embarrassed or can’t muster the energy, help may be a phone call away.

An August 2004 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association randomly assigned 563 depressed people who had started taking antidepressant medication to receive eight sessions of structured behavioral therapy by telephone, periodic phone calls reminding them to continue taking their medication, or the usual care, involving medication but no therapy. In the 30- to 40-minute phone sessions, therapists and patients discussed ways to reverse negative thoughts, increase pleasant activities, and handle daily affairs.

After six months, 80 percent of the phone-therapy group reported that their depression was “much” or “very much” improved compared with 66 percent of the reminder group and 55 percent of the usual-care group. Still, researchers say in-person therapy is generally preferable when possible.