Hi, friend! We are trying to developing a smartphone app for the treatment of anxiety among young people. I know that the evidence base for the use of apps in the treatment of mental health conditions is most developed for the treatment of mood disorders. Could you give me some advice regarding how to choose the theory?

No worries.

Thanks for the information.

Meta-analytic evidence now supports the modest effectiveness of app-based interventions in improving self-reported symptoms associated with depression and anxiety. In depression, app-based interventions incorporating cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), mood monitoring, and mindfulness (but notably not cognitive training) are associated with small to moderate effects when compared to inactive controls. A similar effect has been observed in apps for anxiety. Importantly, there appears to be no incremental benefit of combining face-to-face and app-supported care using the same underlying therapeutic principles, possibly because of ceiling effects. As a result, if your intention is to offer a single type of therapy, an either-or approach to the use of apps or face-to-face interventions may be appropriate, particularly in mild-moderate depression (where apps have the clearest positive effects). There may be a place, however, for hybrid approaches where apps and face-to-face strategies are used to target different aspects of condition management.