“We’ve had an incredible explosion of need, especially in the wake of COVID, with soaring rates of anxiety and depression and not enough practitioners,” said Dr. Olusola A. Ajilore, professor of psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and co-first author of the paper, in a press release.
“This kind of technology may serve as a bridge. It’s not meant to be a replacement for traditional therapy, but it may be an important stop-gap before somebody can seek treatment,” he added.
For the study, the researchers recruited 63 adults with mild-to-moderate depression or anxiety. The participants were randomized to either receive the Lumen intervention or be ‘waitlisted’ for the intervention and receive no treatment. Both the Lumen intervention and waitlist group were studied for 16 weeks.
The Lumen intervention included an evidence-based psychological skills training (PST) program consisting of eight sessions that helped patients identify problems, set goals, brainstorm solutions, develop action plans and implement and evaluate their plans. Each session lasted an average of 12 minutes.
In the end, the researchers found that participants in the Lumen group experienced significant decreases in depression, anxiety, and psychological distress compared to the control group. They also showed improvements in problem-solving skills that correlated with increased activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain linked to cognitive control.
The researchers are now comparing the use of Lumen with a control group on a waitlist as well as patients receiving human-coached problem-solving therapy. They note that the purpose of digital mental health services is not to replace human therapists, but rather to expand access to mental health services to otherwise unserved individuals.
Sources: Neuroscience News, Nature