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Tag: anxiety
03/07/2023

Psychological Phenotypes Correlate with Response to Digital Therapy for Anxiety

Article Excerpt: A patient’s psychological phenotype could be an indication of whether the patient will respond to a digital therapy for anxiety, according to a new report. The study offers insights that could help clinicians offer personalized care to patients with psychological conditions, but it also could explain why some patients respond more strongly than others to the types of therapy often leveraged by prescription digital therapeutics. The findings were published in Scientific Reports. Corresponding author Veronique A. Taylor, Ph.D., M.Sc., of the Brown University School of Public Health, and colleagues, said while personalized medicine has become an important component of other types of healthcare, personalized medicine in mental health has lagged due in part to a lack of research.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/2p8tnr2j

Article Source: Managed Healthcare Executive

Posted in: Methodologies & Analytics, Uncategorized // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
01/10/2023

Challenges in Recruiting University Students for Web-Based Indicated Prevention of Depression and Anxiety: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial (ICare Prevent)

Bolinski F, Kleiboer A, Neijenhuijs K, Karyotaki E, Wiers R, de Koning L, Jacobi C, Zarski A, Weisel K, Cuijpers P, Riper H. Challenges in Recruiting University Students for Web-Based Indicated Prevention of Depression and Anxiety: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial (ICare Prevent). J Med Internet Res 2022;24(12):e40892. DOI: 10.2196/40892

This study described recruitment challenges for a transdiagnostic, web-based prevention program and presented initial analysis on the intervention’s effectiveness on depression and anxiety symptoms. The study was a 3-arm randomized controlled trial with students (at least 16 years old) with subclinical symptoms of depression and anxiety to compare individually guided and automatically guided versions of ICare Prevent versus care as usual. ICare Prevent is a web-based and mobile-supported intervention for prevention of depression and anxiety. ICare Prevent is a 7-session web-based program (45-60 minutes each) and participants were instructed to complete 1-2 sessions weekly. ICare Prevent also provides elective modules and diaries that target factors common to mood and anxiety problems (i.e., sleep, alcohol use, positive activities). The individually guided version provided structured and personalized feedback on exercises and the automatically guided version provided standard and computerized feedback after each session. The study’s original recruitment goal was 252 student participants. Various strategies of recruitment were used, including social media campaigns on Facebook and Instagram, printed advertising at universities, paid participant platform, and other collaborations. Direct recruitment using students’ email addresses via the student administration was the most effective strategy. Despite these strategies, data was available for only 35 participants (individually guided: n=14, automatically guided: n=8, care as usual: n=13). Participants provided self-reported depression and anxiety symptoms at baseline, 6-month, and 12-month follow-up. Log data from the intervention platform showed low usage, with an average of 3 out of 7 sessions completed. Results did not show sufficient evidence of intervention effects on depression and anxiety over time in any intervention arm. Overall, recruitment for this population was challenging and more research is needed to identify factors to better engage college students in research studies.

Posted in: Cutting Edge Literature // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ;
12/09/2022

As Student Mental Health Needs Soar, Schools Turn to Telehealth

Article Excerpt: In the southwestern suburbs of Denver, the Cherry Creek school system has been tackling the mental health crisis gripping students here, as in the rest of the country. Social workers and psychologists are based in schools to help. But this month, the district debuted a new option: telehealth therapy for children.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/2js2c9pt

Article Source: The Washington Post

Posted in: Emerging Technologies // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
09/26/2022

Predictors of adolescent engagement and outcomes – A cross-sectional study using the Togetherall (formerly Big White Wall) digital mental health platform

Marinova N, Rogers T, and MacBeth A. “Predictors of Adolescent Engagement and Outcomes – A Cross-Sectional Study Using the Togetherall (formerly Big White Wall) Digital Mental Health Platform.” Journal of affective disorders 311 (2022): 284–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.058

This study modelled predictors of engagement and symptom change in adolescent users of Togetherall anonymous digital mental health peer-support platform. Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of longitudinal user data from 606 Togetherall users (16-18 years old) referred from mental health services in the United Kingdom. Togetherall is a membership-based digital platform that supports delivery of peer support moderated by professionals, self-help materials, guided courses, digital art, and self-monitoring of mental well-being. Usage metrics, including number of logins, session duration, usage time, and number of guided courses and self-help materials accessed were collected. Participant characteristics and anxiety and depression symptoms were used to predict engagement and participants chose when and whether to complete a symptom measure. Average number of logins was 5.11 and mean usage time 64.22 minutes. 34% of participants discontinued use after one log-in. Total usage time predicted more access of self-help materials. Females made greater use of materials and courses than males. Higher baseline depression and anxiety, longer usage time, and session duration predicted lower post intervention depression scores. Higher baseline depression and anxiety and more self-help materials accessed predicted lower post intervention anxiety scores. Findings demonstrate that adolescents with significant levels of morbidity readily engaged with an anonymous online platform for support with mental health. Togetherall may offer a supportive community for adolescents using mental health services. Future studies are needed to establish effectiveness, adherence and acceptability using robust RCTs with active comparison groups.

Posted in: Cutting Edge Literature // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
09/19/2022

Why VR Could Be the New Dawn of Pain, Anxiety Management

Article Excerpt: Experts think virtual reality (VR) can help address the country’s rising levels of pain and anxiety. By flooding the brain with positive signals, VR experiences can act as a drug-free alternative to pain and mental health management — and hospitals across the nation are deploying the technology.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/ejsb9p6k

Article Source: MedCityNews

Posted in: Emerging Technologies // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ;

The Efficacy of “Foundations,” a Digital Mental Health App to Improve Mental Well-being During COVID-19: Proof-of-Principle Randomized Controlled Trial

Catuara-Solarz S, Skorulski B, Estella-Aguerri I, Avella-Garcia C, Shepherd S, Stott E, Hemmings N, Ruiz de Villa A, Schulze L, Dix S. The Efficacy of “Foundations,” a Digital Mental Health App to Improve Mental Well-being During COVID-19: Proof-of-Principle Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2022;10(7):e30976 DOI: 10.2196/30976

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a mobile app, “Foundations”, to reduce self-reported symptoms of anxiety and stress in a randomized control trial during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Adults (N=136) with mild to severe anxiety and moderate to high levels of perceived stress were randomly assigned to four weeks of the Foundations app or a waitlist control. The Foundations app includes cognitive behavioral therapy interventions and psychoeducation aimed at reducing stress and promoting mental well-being. Activities consist of reading articles, journaling, meditation, and relaxation. Resilience, anxiety, well-being, and sleep were assessed at baseline, weeks 2 and 4. Perceived stress was assessed weekly. The intervention group (n=62) showed significant improvement in anxiety (p=0.04), resilience (p<0.001), sleep (p=0.01), and mental well-being (p=0.02) compared to the control group (n=74). This improvement was observed within 2 weeks of the intervention and sustained at week 4. There was no significant difference in perceived stress between the intervention and control groups (p=0.20). Overall, this study provides a proof of principle that the Foundations app may improve mental well-being, anxiety, resilience, and sleep. Future research should evaluate the long-term effects of the Foundations app and the scalability and cost-effectiveness of the intervention. The passive nature of the control group in this study does not rule out placebo effects in the digital intervention group and future research would benefit from an active control condition.

Posted in: Cutting Edge Literature // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
08/16/2022

The Strange, Nervous Rise of the Therapist Chatbot

Article Excerpt: When Nicholas Jacobson and his team test their mental health chatbot, nine out of 10 of its responses are contextualized and clinically appropriate. One in 10 are “weird and lack human-ness,” he told The Daily Beast. This means TheraBot is moving in the right direction. It’s better than when it said, “I want my life to be over” when Jacobson and his team were training the chatbot to use language from self-help internet forums; or when it picked up the bad habits of therapists when they trained it with psychotherapy transcripts—like quickly attributing problems to the user’s relationship with their parent.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/n7c5hc87

Article Source: The Daily Beast

Posted in: Emerging Technologies // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
08/10/2022

Virtual Reality Could Completely Transform Mental Health—if We’re Ready

Article Excerpt: Virtual reality has quickly moved past its reputation as a niche video game console that nauseated its users (literally). Today’s VR is sleek, with capabilities once considered inconceivable—fully realized avatars that emote and cry; naturalistic scenery; and the ability to interact exclusively with one’s bare hands, no controllers involved. Proponents see a household use for VR, whether in the form of the so-called (and still ill-defined) “metaverse,” or simply as a way to connect with family and work on yourself. Some researchers have found the technology to be especially potent at solving mental health issues like anxiety, addiction, and social isolation. Today’s virtual reality startups are in the game of creating and perfecting illusions to help users cope with reality, not disconnect from it.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/5n8bfjjr

Article Source: The Daily Best

Posted in: Emerging Technologies // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
08/08/2022

Experts Are Betting on Games to Fix Mental Health Tech Today

Article Excerpt: Although the mental health tech space has been growing rapidly even before the pandemic, some reckon it may not be as effective as we wish it to be. Interestingly, the money is on gaming today – to fix the rising number of mental health issues. Self-help of some form may well have to be a solution to this situation, due to the fact that more than half the people who need mental health care do not receive it. No doubt, to close the widening gap, some people have turned to mental-health apps for solace: some of which claim to provide everything from cognitive behavioral therapy to guided meditation.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/2p997vbm

Article Source: Tech HQ

Posted in: Emerging Technologies // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ;