Table 5 Internet-delivered psychotherapeutic interventions for anxiety disorders: proposal for standards

- Diagnoses should be made by psychiatrists or psychologists in personal contact

- Contact persons on the “other end” should have a degree in medicine or psychology and should have a completed (or almost-completed) training in psychotherapy

- Therapist contact with participants via E-mail, telephone or videoconferencing should be at least 15 min per week

- Program modules should be based on scientific findings on the effective ingredients of psychotherapy and should be developed by experienced psychotherapists

- Patients should be informed about alternative treatments that might yield higher ES, e.g. face-to-face CBT or medications

- E-mail and videoconferencing services must be encrypted

- Participants should be provided with a 24-h emergency telephone number in case of severe mental problems, e.g. suicidal ideas