EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS IN MANAGING ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION: A QUANTITATIVE STUDY ON PATIENT ENGAGEMENT AND SYMPTOM REDUCTION

Abstract

Globally, anxiety and depression pose serious challenges to patients and medical professionals. Traditional mental health therapies do not resolve basic problems related to patient care access and participation plus high treatment expenses. Mobile apps that deliver cognitive behavioral therapy help solve important problems people face when trying to access mental health services. A research team randomly placed 200 individuals with MDD and GAD into an in-person or mobile CBT group for the evaluation. We measured how patients responded to therapy through GAD-7 and PHQ-9 results at treatment start, the halfway point, and after ending therapy with focus on symptom changes and treatment following. The data showed decreased anxiety and depression in the participants but patients who received digital CBT experienced more substantial improvement in patient engagement alongside their condition. Digital therapy solutions prove effective and more affordable than regular treatments due to their success rate with disadvantaged groups despite participant engagement challenges. This research proves that digital cognitive behavioral therapy can treat anxiety and depression at lower costs while offering better patient care.