Variety of Digital Apps Aid Mental Health Symptoms in Adults
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, July 22, 2024 -- Mindfulness-based, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based, and personalized feedback digital interventions are similarly effective in reducing mental health symptoms in adult outpatients, according to a study published online July 18 in JAMA Network Open.
Adam G. Horwitz, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, and colleagues evaluated whether patients randomly assigned to a CBT-based or mindfulness-based digital mental health intervention (DMHI) had greater improvements in mental health symptoms than patients receiving enhanced personalized feedback (EPF)-only DMHI. Analysis included 2,079 adult psychiatric outpatients randomly assigned to EPF only; Silvercloud only, a mobile application designed to deliver CBT strategies; Silvercloud plus EPF; Headspace only, a mobile application designed to train users in mindfulness practices; or Headspace plus EPF for six weeks.
The researchers found that the baseline mean Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score was 12.7 and significantly decreased for all intervention arms at six weeks (range, −2.1 to −2.9). Across the arms, the magnitude of change was not significantly different. The groups were also similar with respect to decrease in anxiety or substance use symptoms. The Headspace arms reported significantly greater improvements on a suicidality measure subscale versus the Silvercloud arms.
"Findings of this study suggest that different digital interventions can be used as supplemental or adjunctive tools within health care systems and may support patients during waiting list-related delays in care," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted July 2024
Read this next
Preoperative Blood Pressure Strategies Yield Similar Postoperative Cognitive Results
FRIDAY, June 6, 2025 -- For patients undergoing noncardiac surgery, neurocognitive outcomes do not differ with hypotension-avoidance and hypertension-avoidance strategies...
Less 'Experienced Weight Stigma' After Bariatric Surgery Aids Mental Health
FRIDAY, June 6, 2025 -- Experienced weight stigma (EWS) improves from pre- to post-metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS), according to a study published online June 5 in Health...
Caregiver Concern Can Be Key to Identifying Critical Illness in Hospitalized Children
FRIDAY, June 6, 2025 -- For pediatric patients presenting to a hospital, caregiver concern for clinical deterioration is associated with critical illness, according to a study...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.