Mental Health Apps Demonstrate Potential, Yet Exhibit Areas of Enhancement Necessary
A study led by Carme Carrion at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) has explored the impact of depression-focused apps, particularly in hybrid treatments that combine technology with professional involvement. The team’s research, compiled and analyzed from rigorous scientific studies over the past few years, suggests that such apps can significantly alleviate depression symptoms.
Affiliated with the UOC's Faculty of Health Sciences, the research group has delved into depression apps as part of the EvalDelApps project, funded by the Carlos III Institute of Health (ISCIII). The project's aim is to examine the methodology used to evaluate depression-centric apps, with the ultimate goal of creating a tool to help patients and professionals choose the most effective apps for treatment.
Carme Carrion noted that while numerous depression apps are available, many lack a foundation in scientific evidence or involvement from professionals or patients. To address this, the study analyzed 29 scientific studies that evaluate smartphone-based health interventions for depression, finding a moderate positive effect for such interventions, with potential as a viable means of providing mental healthcare. However, the current selection of apps varies greatly, making classification challenging.
Users tend to prefer simple, user-friendly apps over those with numerous features and options, even when dealing with more severe depression cases. No significant differences in usage were observed based on age or gender.
Researcher Andrea Duarte, of the Canary Islands Health Research Institute Foundation (FIISC) and the Evaluation and Planning Service of the Canary Islands Health Service (SESCS), headed a meta-analysis that stressed the necessity of tailored approaches, taking individual differences, preferences, and needs into account. To ensure their effectiveness, Duarte emphasized the importance of evidence-based principles and standardized evaluation tools.
In addition to reducing depression symptoms, hybrid interventions achieved better results than purely technological ones. This observation was one of many made during the research process published as open access, which also involved input from researchers at the eHealthLab, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, University of Vic, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, and the Catalan Health Institute.
Duarte stated that while technology for mental health treatment is still in development, it represents an avenue worth exploring. Shedding light on the limitations of existing apps, Duarte highlighted the need to move beyond generic solutions and find the most suitable apps containing specific features for users with various needs.
Ongoing research will delve further into how technology can be used more effectively in treating mild depression in Catalonia. Workshops for patients suffering from or recovery from depression have been scheduled to gather feedback and offer valuable insights for researchers. This approach will help guide the development of more targeted and effective applications in the future.
The research group at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya's Faculty of Health Sciences, working on the EvalDelApps project, aims to develop a tool for choosing mentally beneficial health-and-wellness apps, focusing on depression-centric apps with a strong scientific backing and professional or patient involvement (mental health, science, health-and-wellness, mental-health).
Further exploration through ongoing studies will concentrate on enhancing the efficacy of technology in treating mild depression, especially in Catalonia, by hosting workshops and gathering feedback from patients to create more targeted and effective apps in the future (mental health, science, health-and-wellness, mental-health).
