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A research showed that Smartphone apps are an effective option to treat depression. Smartphones open up non-stigmatising and self-managing avenues of care for the people with depression, the study says. Thus, smartphones can help them check, recognize and administer their own mental health. This may head for safe and accessible interventions for millions of people with the mental disorder.
“The majority of people in developed countries own smartphones, including younger people who are increasingly affected by depression,” said lead author Joseph Firth, postdoctoral research fellow at Australia’s National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM).
“Smartphone devices may ultimately be capable of providing instantly accessible and highly effective treatments for depression, reducing the societal and economic burden of this condition worldwide,” Firth added.
Significantly, no distinction was established in apps that apply principles of mindfulness compared to cognitive behavioural therapy. Apps, with an “integrative medicine” approach, can be particularly useful for enhancing mood and tackling symptoms in patients.
“Given the multitude of apps available, many of them unregulated, it’s critical that we unlock which specific app attributes reap the greatest benefits, to ensure that all apps available to people with depression are effective,” emphasised co-author Jennifer Nicholas, a doctoral student at the Black Dog Institute, a Sydney based not-for-profit organisation.
The studies involved over 3,400 male and female participants between the ages of 18-59.