School of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia.
Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2020 Jan;54(1):20-28. doi: 10.1177/0004867419876700. Epub 2019 Sep 25.
The increase in ownership of smartphones and tablet devices has seen a worldwide government push, championed by the World Health Organization, towards digital healthcare services generally. Mental health has been a strong presence in the digitisation of healthcare because of the potential to solve some of the difficulties in accessing face-to-face services. This review summarises the recent history of e-mental health services and illuminates two very different paths. The first is the considerable amount of research that has proven the effectiveness of many online mental health programmes for personal computers and laptops, resulting in widespread acceptance of their ability to make a contribution in an individual's recovery from anxiety and depression. The second is associated with the more recent development of apps for smartphones and tablet devices and the contrasting paucity of research that has accompanied this burgeoning area of e-mental health. This review also outlines the current state of play for research into the effectiveness of mobile mental health apps for anxiety and depression, including issues associated with methodology, and offers sources of practical advice for clinicians wanting more information about these new digital tools.
Research into the effectiveness of mental health apps is lacking, and the majority have no evidence of efficacy. Clinicians need to be aware of what apps have such evidence and should exercise caution when recommending apps to patients. Suggestions are offered on the direction of future research, including an appeal to further include clinicians in the development and efficacy testing of mental health apps.
随着智能手机和平板设备拥有量的增加，世界卫生组织倡导全球政府普遍推动数字化医疗服务。由于有可能解决一些难以获得面对面服务的问题，心理健康在医疗保健的数字化中占据了重要地位。本综述总结了电子心理健康服务的近期历史，并阐明了两条截然不同的道路。第一条是大量研究已经证明了许多针对个人电脑和笔记本电脑的在线心理健康计划的有效性，从而广泛接受了它们在帮助焦虑和抑郁患者康复方面的作用。第二条与智能手机和平板设备应用程序的最新发展有关，而与之相比，这方面的研究却相对较少，这是电子心理健康领域的一个新兴领域。本综述还概述了目前对用于焦虑和抑郁的移动心理健康应用程序的有效性的研究现状，包括与方法学相关的问题，并为希望了解这些新的数字工具的临床医生提供了实用建议的来源。
心理健康应用程序的有效性研究不足，且大多数应用程序都没有疗效证据。临床医生需要了解哪些应用程序具有此类证据，并在向患者推荐应用程序时应谨慎行事。对未来研究的方向提出了建议，包括呼吁进一步让临床医生参与心理健康应用程序的开发和疗效测试。
