[nickbarnwell]

> reading self-help books…is similarly effective to in-person psychotherapy

That was not the outcome of the CPR paper, and even the authors' statement in the abstract is considerably more hedged than you imply here.

iCBT and bibliotherapy have both demonstrated the greatest efficact in subclinical or extremely high functioning populations; their utility in more severe cases or those where there are comorbid psychiatric or bio-social issues is less clear.

I absolutely believe in using telehealth to broaden access to behavioural health services and think they're an excellent first line treatment, but stating there's nothing to suggest that they're a fungible good with equivalent value to human-delivered psychotherapy risks dissuading people who're already struggling and fail to improve with self-guided resources from seeking out more comprehensive services.