Current directions in digital interventions for mood and anxiety disorders

The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the current scope of digital interventions for anxiety and mood disorders, with a focus on smartphone apps, for clinicians and mental healthcare providers.

Of the 11 randomized controlled trials analyzed, 7 showed evidence that guided digital interventions (those supported by humans) were effective in improving anxiety and mood symptoms, and 3 showed evidence that unguided (those not supported by humans) interventions were effective. Psychoeducation was the most popular feature of both guided and unguided interventions. Attrition was highest (50%) in the unguided app-based intervention and lowest in the guided interventions. Many studies lacked active control groups and comparison was often made to a nondigital or waitlist control condition.

Guided digital interventions continue to show promising results and can be used to enhance clinical care with minimal resources although more direct comparisons to existing treatments are necessary to understand their actual efficacy. Unguided self-help apps and chatbots remain promising, but more work is necessary to understand the real-world engagement and efficacy of these interventions.