A self-help intervention delivered through a smartphone app effectively addressed depressive symptoms in patients with intellectual disabilities, according to a study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open.Though individuals with intellectual disabilities are significantly more likely to experience mental health disorders than the general population, services for this population are underprovided due to systemic factors such as lack of specialized services and patients’ dependence on caregivers, wrote Swantje Borsutzky, Ph.D., of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Hamburg, Germany, and colleagues.
To help address this, Borsutzky and colleagues developed a self-help smartphone app called Happy (Glücklich in German). The free app, written in an easy-to-read format and incorporating colorful illustrations and audio features, aims to reduce depressive symptoms and improve self-esteem in individuals with intellectual disabilities though short exercises. The app suggests one new exercise daily that covers core cognitive behavioral therapy principles (such as psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring, or emotional awareness).
The researchers recruited 99 participants (average age 35 years, 55% female) who were randomly assigned either to use the Happy app for four weeks or to a control group. Both groups received care as usual, such as psychosocial support, daily structure provided by caregivers, and access to general health services. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Glasgow Depression Scale for People With a Learning Disability (GDS-LD).
Compared with the control group, app users showed reduced depressive symptoms, improved quality of life, and stabilized self-esteem:
- Among the app group, average GDS-LD scores dropped from 7.86 at baseline to 5.72 four weeks later.
- Among the control group, average GDS-LD scores rose from 9.61 to 10.27 four weeks later.
- More than 90% of participants in the app group used it at least one to two times per week, and 28% used it five to seven times per week.
- Additionally, 98% of app users rated its quality as good, and 89% said they would use it again.
“This study contributes important evidence to address the treatment gap for individuals with [intellectual disabilities],” the authors concluded. “The app may serve as interim support for those awaiting regular therapy or those with mild symptoms, or for preventive use. Given the increasing smartphone access in this group, app-based interventions represent a promising strategy to improve access to mental health care.”
For related information, see the Psychiatric News article “Self-Help App Aims to Help People Recover From Trauma.”
(Image: Getty Images/iStock/dikushin)
