Effectiveness of evidence based mental health apps on user health outcome: A systematic literature review

Summary & key facts

Researchers reviewed research on phone apps for mental health to see if they help with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. They searched scientific databases, picked 38 studies (about 30 of them were carefully controlled trials) that tested roughly 35 different apps. The apps—almost all based on cognitive behavioral therapy, which teaches people to notice and change unhelpful thoughts and habits—usually helped reduce symptoms, but how much they helped varied a lot. The team says we need longer studies, tests with more kinds of people, and better ways to measure real-world effects.

Key facts:

• More than 70% of people who need mental health care around the world do not get adequate services, which is one reason researchers are studying phone apps as a possible way to reach more people.
• The reviewers searched multiple databases and found about 6,900 papers, then selected 38 studies that tested mental health apps in people.
• About 30 of the selected studies were carefully controlled trials, the kind of studies that try to measure whether an app really causes change.
• The review covered about 35 different mobile apps, and every app used a version of cognitive behavioral therapy, a method that helps people notice and change negative thoughts and behaviors.
• Two common ways the apps worked were by offering personalized activities to keep people engaged and by teaching users how to reframe negative thoughts.
• Overall, the apps tended to produce positive changes in depression and anxiety symptoms, but the size of those benefits differed a lot between apps and studies.
• The reviewers said future research should check whether benefits last over time, test apps with a wider range of people, and use more objective ways to measure outcomes.

Abstract

Research shows that over 70% of individuals globally who require mental health services lack access to adequate care. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies, such as phone apps, can be a potential solution to this issue by enabling broader and more affordable reach, thus addressing the problem of limited access to care. This study evaluates the effectiveness of evidence-based health apps on user mental health outcomes, particularly depression, anxiety, and suicidal behaviors. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, and IEEE databases. In total, 6894 studies were identified, and 38 studies were selected for the review-thirty out of 38 studies employed randomized controlled trial designs. We identified 35 unique mobile apps. All the apps leveraged Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-based approaches. The most common approaches were context engagement and cognitive change, highlighting a significant focus on using personalized engagement activities and empowering users to alter their perspectives and reframe negative thoughts to improve their mental health. While mental health apps generally positively impact mental health outcomes, the findings also highlight significant variability in their effectiveness. Future studies should prioritize long-term effectiveness, wider reach to ensure it suits a diverse range of people, and the employment of objective evaluation methodologies.

Topics

Digital Mental Health Interventions Impact of Technology on Adolescents Mental Health Research Topics

Categories

Applied Psychology Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Applied psychology Biology Cognitive reframing Computer science Context (archaeology) Digital health Economic growth Economics Health care Law Medicine MEDLINE Mental health mHealth Mobile phone Paleontology Political science Psychiatry Psychological intervention Psychology Psychotherapist Systematic review Telecommunications

Conditions & symptoms

Anxiety Depression Anxiety or worry Sadness or low mood