Mental Health App Can Protect Vulnerable Young People Against Depression: Study Finds
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A cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) app has been found to significantly prevent increases in depression in young people who are at high risk - and could be implemented as a cost-effective public mental health measure.
Globally, concern is growing about the high and steadily increasing rates of anxiety and depression in young people. Effective and scalable ways of preventing poor mental health in this group are needed, and digital tools such as mobile apps have been proposed as part of the solution.
Whilst there is emerging evidence for mental health apps being effective in treating anxiety and depression, this project led by the University of Exeter is the first to rigorously test a mental health app on such a large scale across four countries. Two linked papers published in Lancet Digital Health report the results of the ECoWeB-PREVENT and ECoWeB-PROMOTE trials, which ran concurrently in the four-year study funded by Horizon 2020. Critically, these studies found that a CBT self-help app can protect vulnerable young people against depression.
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