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
Myocardial Fibrosis Linked to Ventricular Arrhythmia in Male Endurance Athletes
TUESDAY, July 22, 2025 -- Myocardial fibrosis is independently associated with the onset of ventricular arrhythmia in male veteran endurance athletes, according to a study...
Risk for Dementia, Ischemic Stroke, Mortality Lower With GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in T2D, Obesity
TUESDAY, July 22, 2025 -- For adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity, glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are associated with a lower risk for dementia, stroke...
Digital Model Based on Noninvasive Factors Shows Accuracy for Identifying IBD in Children
TUESDAY, July 22, 2025 -- A model based on noninvasive tests shows high accuracy as a digital tool for the rapid identification of children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)...
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.