Smartphone Apps To Cure Depression?

From connecting us to the world, giving us important information from all the corners to entertaining us, smartphones today pretty much sort our lives out. But what if we told you that your handy little device can also help treat serious mental problems as such depression?

A recent study conducted by researchers from Australia's National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM), Harvard Medical School, The University of Manchester, and the Black Dog Institute in Australia concludes that smartphones are an effective way in dealing with depression.

Depression is a leading mental disorder, the world over, with millions of people from different countries suffering from the disease.

The ability of smartphone-based treatment apps for depression was systematically assessed and analysed by the researchers.

More than 3400 men and women participants aged 18 to 59 with varied mental health symptoms and conditions like major depression, mild to moderate depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety and insomnia were involved in the study.

The report published in World Psychiatry established that smartphone apps considerably reduced people's depressive symptoms, therefore implying that these tech solutions are big aide in managing mental health conditions.

NICM postdoctoral research fellow and a lead author of the study, Joseph Firth comments on the significance of the finding, "The majority of people in developed countries own smartphones, including younger people who are increasingly affected by depression."

"Combined with the rapid technological advances in this area, these devices may ultimately be capable of providing instantly accessible and highly effective treatments for depression, reducing the societal and economic burden of this condition worldwide," he added.

Co-author, Professor Jerome Sarris said about the report, "The data shows us that smartphones can help people monitor, understand and manage their own mental health. Using apps as part of an 'integrative medicine' approach for depression has been demonstrated to be particularly useful for improving mood and tackling symptoms in these patients."

With inputs from ANI