The Impact of Digital Mental Health Apps: Effectiveness in Managing Depression and Anxiety

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) stands as a leading cause of disability, demanding innovative self-management solutions. Despite advances in treatment and management, many still struggle with daily symptoms, highlighting the urgency for solutions that can offer scalable, personalized treatment to promote long-term well-being and reduce reliance on professional intervention. This study evaluates the effectiveness of BodyMindGlow, a digital platform designed for mental health self-management which records and monitors health status and provides recommendations to improve physical and mental well-being. App requirements were defined following a study involving 205 applications for mental health management, detailing current practices in Behavioral Management, Persuasive Systems Design (PSD), Behavioral Economics (BE) principles and Security and Privacy strategies. The study involved two groups: one with a clinical diagnosis of depression and/or anxiety and another without a diagnosis but interested in improving their general well-being. For two weeks, participants recorded mental and physical state daily and used services for emotional management and promotion of a healthy lifestyle. Follow-up was consulted daily through evolution graphs. Evaluation included initial assessment tests (PHQ-9 and GAD-7), daily records, a usability questionnaire divided into the System Usability Scale (SUS) and a personalized questionnaire. The results provided insights to guide future research and advancements in Digital Mental Health (DMH), demonstrating the effectiveness of an engaging solution that fits the fundamental and limiting needs of current mental health self-management. Creating this platform with advanced features, such as Artificial Intelligence, Gamification and SmartCoach, proved crucial to improve adherence and effectiveness of interventions.