Cited by 160Digital Mental Health InterventionsMobile Health and mHealth ApplicationsAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 55 of the 55 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

A review of popular smartphone apps for depression and anxiety: Assessing the inclusion of evidence-based content

Open access

Wasil, Akash R., Venturo-Conerly, Katherine E., Shingleton, Rebecca M., Weisz, John R.·2019·Behaviour Research and Therapy

DOI 10.1016/j.brat.2019.103498

Published version of a preprint

Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Smartphone applications for the treatment of depression and anxiety have acquired millions of users, yet little is known about whether they include evidence-based therapeutic content. We examined the extent to which popular mental health applications (MH apps) for depression and anxiety contain treatment elements found in empirically supported psychotherapy protocols (i.e., "common elements"). Of the 27 MH apps reviewed, 23 included at least one common element, with a median of three elements. Psychoeducation (in 52% of apps), relaxation (44%), meditation (41%), mindfulness (37%), and assessment (37%) were the most frequent elements, whereas several elements (e.g., problem solving) were not found in any apps. We also identified gaps between app content and empirically supported treatments. Cognitive restructuring was more common in depression protocols than in depression apps (75% of protocols vs. 31% of apps), as was problem solving (34% vs. 0%). For anxiety, exposure (85%, 12%), cognitive restructuring (60%, 12%), and problem solving (25%, 0%) were more common in protocols than apps. Overall, our findings highlight empirically supported treatment elements that are poorly represented in current MH apps. The absence of several core treatment elements underscores the need for future research, including randomized trials testing the effectiveness of popular MH apps.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.brat.2019.103498

Cites

55 of 55 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

We couldn’t retrieve this paper’s full text, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Perceived barriers and facilitators to mental health help-seeking in young people: A systematic review
Gulliver, A., Griffiths, K. M., & Christensen, H. (2010) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/1471-244x-10-113 · Cited by 3,292
Defining empirically supported therapies.
Chambless, D. L., & Hollon, S. D. (1998) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-006x.66.1.7 · Cited by 3,067
Empirically supported psychological interventions: Controversies and evidence
Chambless, D. L., & Ollendick, T. H. (2001) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.685 · Cited by 2,097
Computer Therapy for the Anxiety and Depressive Disorders Is Effective, Acceptable and Practical Health Care: A Meta-Analysis
Andrews, G., Cuijpers, P., Craske, M. G., McEvoy, P., & Titov, N. (2010) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0013196 · Cited by 1,311
Barriers to mental health treatment: results from the WHO World Mental Health surveys
Andrade, L. H., Alonso, J., Mneimneh, Z., Wells, J. E., Al-Hamzawi, A., Borges, G., Bromet, E., Bruffaerts, R., de Girolamo, G., de Graaf, R., et al. (2014) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291713001943 · Cited by 1,289
Rebooting psychotherapy research and practice to reduce the burden of mental illness
Kazdin, A. E., & Blase, S. L. (2011) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691610393527 · Cited by 1,254
Smartphones for smarter delivery of mental health programs: A systematic review
Donker, T., Petrie, K., Proudfoot, J., Clarke, J., Birch, M.-R., & Christensen, H. (2013) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.2791 · Cited by 1,136 · cited 1×
“Headspace), yet little is known about the effectiveness of most of these commercially successful MH apps (Donker et al., 2013).”
Background
The efficacy of smartphone‐based mental health interventions for depressive symptoms: a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials
Firth, J., Torous, J., Nicholas, J., Carney, R., Pratap, A., Rosenbaum, S., & Sarris, J. (2017) · World Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/wps.20472 · Cited by 1,097
A Meta-Analysis of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Adult Depression, Alone and in Comparison with other Treatments
Cuijpers, P., Berking, M., Andersson, G., Quigley, L., Kleiboer, A., & Dobson, K. S. (2013) · The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/070674371305800702 · Cited by 1,066
Psychotherapy for depression in adults: A meta-analysis of comparative outcome studies.
Cuijpers, P., van Straten, A., Andersson, G., & van Oppen, P. (2008) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0013075 · Cited by 1,050

Show all 55 references

Sorted by citations

The growing field of digital psychiatry: current evidence and the future of apps, social media, chatbots, and virtual reality
Torous, J., Bucci, S., Bell, I. H., Kessing, L. V., Faurholt‐Jepsen, M., Whelan, P., Carvalho, A. F., Keshavan, M., Linardon, J., & Firth, J. (2021) · World Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/wps.20883 · Cited by 1,199
Large language models could change the future of behavioral healthcare: a proposal for responsible development and evaluation
Stade, E. C., Stirman, S. W., Ungar, L. H., Boland, C. L., Schwartz, H. A., Yaden, D. B., Sedoc, J., DeRubeis, R. J., Willer, R., & Eichstaedt, J. C. (2024) · npj Mental Health Research · doi:10.1038/s44184-024-00056-z · Cited by 391
Management of Depression in Adults: A Review
Simon, G. E., Moise, N., & Mohr, D. C. (2024) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.2024.5756 · Cited by 234
Android and iPhone mobile apps for psychosocial wellness and stress management: Systematic search in app stores and literature review
Lau, N., O'Daffer, A., Colt, S., Yi-Frazier, J. P., Palermo, T. M., McCauley, E., & Rosenberg, A. R. (2020) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/17798 · Cited by 174
Effectiveness of Smartphone-Based Mindfulness Training on Maternal Perinatal Depression: Randomized Controlled Trial
Sun, Y., Li, Y., Wang, J., Chen, Q., Bazzano, A. N., & Cao, F. (2021) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/23410 · Cited by 165
Acceptability and Utility of an Open-Access, Online Single-Session Intervention Platform for Adolescent Mental Health
Schleider, J. L., Dobias, M., Sung, J. Y., Mumper, E. E., & Mullarkey, M. C. (2020) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/20513 · Cited by 156
A Review of the Quality and Impact of Mobile Health Apps
Grundy, Q. (2021) · Annual Review of Public Health · doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-052020-103738 · Cited by 167
Digital Technologies for Emotion-Regulation Assessment and Intervention: A Conceptual Review
Bettis, A. H., Burke, T. A., Nesi, J. L., & Liu, R. T. (2021) · Clinical Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/21677026211011982 · Cited by 174
A mindfulness-based mobile health (mHealth) intervention among psychologically distressed university students in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic: A randomized controlled trial.
Sun, S., Lin, D., Goldberg, S., Shen, Z., Chen, P., Qiao, S., Brewer, J., Loucks, E., & Operario, D. (2022) · Journal of Counseling Psychology · doi:10.1037/cou0000568 · Cited by 138
The impact of COVID-19 on child and adolescent mental health and treatment considerations
Chavira, D. A., Ponting, C., & Ramos, G. (2022) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2022.104169 · Cited by 124
Promoting Graduate Student Mental Health During COVID-19: Acceptability, Feasibility, and Perceived Utility of an Online Single-Session Intervention
Wasil, A. R., Taylor, M. E., Franzen, R. E., Steinberg, J. S., & DeRubeis, R. J. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.569785 · Cited by 93
Self-citation
Reassessing evidence-based content in popular smartphone apps for depression and anxiety: Developing and applying user-adjusted analyses.
Wasil, A. R., Gillespie, S., Patel, R., Petre, A., Venturo-Conerly, K. E., Shingleton, R. M., Weisz, J. R., & DeRubeis, R. J. (2020) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/ccp0000604 · Cited by 86
Self-citation
Examining the Reach of Smartphone Apps for Depression and Anxiety
Wasil, A. R., Gillespie, S., Shingleton, R., Wilks, C. R., & Weisz, J. R. (2020) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.19090905 · Cited by 87
Self-citation
Evaluating User Feedback for an Artificial Intelligence–Enabled, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy–Based Mental Health App (Wysa): Qualitative Thematic Analysis
Malik, T., Ambrose, A. J., & Sinha, C. (2022) · JMIR Human Factors · doi:10.2196/35668 · Cited by 83
A Self-Compassion and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Mobile Intervention (Serene) for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress: Promoting Adaptive Emotional Regulation and Wisdom
Al-Refae, M., Al-Refae, A., Munroe, M., Sardella, N., & Ferrari, M. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.648087 · Cited by 91
Efficacy and Conflicts of Interest in Randomized Controlled Trials Evaluating Headspace and Calm Apps: Systematic Review
O'Daffer, A., Colt, S. F., Wasil, A. R., & Lau, N. (2022) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/40924 · Cited by 72
Self-citation
Commonly Reported Problems and Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Crisis: A Survey of Graduate and Professional Students
Wasil, A. R., Franzen, R. E., Gillespie, S., Steinberg, J. S., Malhotra, T., & DeRubeis, R. J. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.598557 · Cited by 71
Self-citation
Is There an App for That? A Review of Popular Apps for Depression, Anxiety, and Well-Being
Wasil, A. R., Palermo, E. H., Lorenzo‐Luaces, L., & DeRubeis, R. J. (2021) · Cognitive and Behavioral Practice · doi:10.1016/j.cbpra.2021.07.001 · Cited by 80
Self-citation
Assessing mental health apps marketplaces with objective metrics from 29,190 data points from 278 apps
Lagan, S., D'Mello, R., Vaidyam, A., Bilden, R., & Torous, J. (2021) · Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica · doi:10.1111/acps.13306 · Cited by 65
Just-in-Time Adaptive Mechanisms of Popular Mobile Apps for Individuals With Depression: Systematic App Search and Literature Review
Teepe, G. W., Fonseca, A. D., Kleim, B., Jacobson, N. C., Salamanca-Sanabria, A., Car, L. T., Fleisch, E., & Kowatsch, T. (2021) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/29412 · Cited by 65
Project Body Neutrality: Piloting a digital single‐session intervention for adolescent body image and depression
Smith, A. C., Ahuvia, I. L., Ito, S., & Schleider, J. L. (2023) · International Journal of Eating Disorders · doi:10.1002/eat.23976 · Cited by 61
Understanding users’ perspectives on mobile apps for anxiety management
Balaskas, A., Schueller, S. M., Cox, A. L., & Doherty, G. J. (2022) · Frontiers in Digital Health · doi:10.3389/fdgth.2022.854263 · Cited by 56
The Impact of Mobile Technology-Delivered Interventions on Youth Well-being: Systematic Review and 3-Level Meta-analysis
Conley, C. S., Raposa, E. B., Bartolotta, K., Broner, S. E., Hareli, M., Forbes, N., Christensen, K. M., & Assink, M. (2022) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/34254 · Cited by 53
Testing the effects of the Shamiri Intervention and its components on anxiety, depression, wellbeing, and academic functioning in Kenyan adolescents: study protocol for a five-arm randomized controlled trial
Venturo‐Conerly, K. E., Osborn, T. L., Wasil, A. R., Le, H., Corrigan, E., Wasanga, C., & Weisz, J. R. (2021) · Trials · doi:10.1186/s13063-021-05736-1 · Cited by 50
Self-citation
Internet-based and mobile-based cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Tao, T. J., Lim, T. K., Yeung, E. T. F., Liu, H., Shris, P. B., Lawrence, K., Lee, T. M. C., & Hou, W. K. (2023) · npj Digital Medicine · doi:10.1038/s41746-023-00809-8 · Cited by 52
There is a non-evidence-based app for that: A systematic review and mixed methods analysis of depression- and anxiety-related apps that incorporate unrecognized techniques
Baumel, A., Torous, J. B., Edan, S., & Kane, J. M. (2020) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.05.011 · Cited by 40
Smartphone apps for eating disorders: A systematic review of evidence‐based content and application of user‐adjusted analyses
Wasil, A. R., Patel, R., Cho, J. Y., Shingleton, R. M., Weisz, J. R., & DeRubeis, R. J. (2021) · International Journal of Eating Disorders · doi:10.1002/eat.23478 · Cited by 40
Self-citation
A cognitive behavioural therapy smartphone app for adolescent depression and anxiety: co-design of ClearlyMe
Li, S. H., Achilles, M. R., Spanos, S., Habak, S., Werner-Seidler, A., & O’Dea, B. (2022) · The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist · doi:10.1017/s1754470x22000095 · Cited by 39
Estimating the real‐world usage of mobile apps for mental health: development and application of two novel metrics
Wasil, A. R., Gillespie, S., Schell, T., Lorenzo‐Luaces, L., & DeRubeis, R. J. (2021) · World Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/wps.20827 · Cited by 36
Self-citation
Digital technologies to support adolescents with depression and anxiety: review
Jones, R. B., Hussain, F., Agha, S. S., Weavers, B., Lucassen, M. F. G., Merry, S., Stallard, P. N., Simpson, S. A., & Rice, F. J. (2022) · BJPsych Advances · doi:10.1192/bja.2022.3 · Cited by 34
The Use of Mobile Assessments for Monitoring Mental Health in Youth: Umbrella Review
Marciano, L., Vocaj, E., Bekalu, M. A., Tona, A. L., Rocchi, G., & Viswanath, K. (2023) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/45540 · Cited by 36
The Functionality of Mobile Apps for Anxiety: Systematic Search and Analysis of Engagement and Tailoring Features
Balaskas, A., Schueller, S. M., Cox, A. L., & Doherty, G. J. (2021) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/26712 · Cited by 35
Well-being app to support young people during the COVID-19 pandemic: randomised controlled trial
Thabrew, H., Boggiss, A. L., Lim, D. H., Schache, K., Morunga, E., Cao, N., Cavadino, A., & Serlachius, A. S. (2022) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2021-058144 · Cited by 29
A randomized controlled trial of a 14-day mindfulness ecological momentary intervention (MEMI) for generalized anxiety disorder
Zainal, N. H., & Newman, M. G. (2023) · European Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.2 · Cited by 28
Efficacy of a Mobile App-Based Intervention for Young Adults With Anxiety Disorders
Bress, J. N., Falk, A. E., Schier, M. M., Jaywant, A., Moroney, E., Dargis, M. A., Bennett, S. M., Scult, M. A., Volpp, K. G. M., Asch, D. A., et al. (2024) · JAMA Network Open · doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.28372 · Cited by 33
Improving Mental Health on College Campuses: Perspectives of Indian College Students
Wasil, A. R., Malhotra, T., Nandakumar, N., Tuteja, N., DeRubeis, R. J., Stewart, R. E., & Bhatia, A. (2021) · Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.beth.2021.09.004 · Cited by 30
Self-citation
Three questions to consider before developing a mental health app
Wasil, A. R., Weisz, J. R., & DeRubeis, R. J. (2020) · World Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/wps.20757 · Cited by 24
Self-citation
Scope, Characteristics, Behavior Change Techniques, and Quality of Conversational Agents for Mental Health and Well-Being: Systematic Assessment of Apps
Lin, X., Martinengo, L., Jabir, A. I., Ho, A. H. Y., Car, J., Atun, R. A., & Car, L. T. (2023) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/45984 · Cited by 24
A randomized controlled trial of an app-delivered mindfulness program among university employees: effects on stress and work-related outcomes
Rich, R. M., Ogden, J., & Morison, L. (2021) · International Journal of Workplace Health Management · doi:10.1108/ijwhm-04-2020-0046 · Cited by 22
Education on Depression in Mental Health Apps: Systematic Assessment of Characteristics and Adherence to Evidence-Based Guidelines
Martinengo, L., Stona, A., Car, L. T., Lee, J., Griva, K., & Car, J. (2021) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/28942 · Cited by 24
Cognitive training using a mobile app as a coping tool against COVID-19 distress: A crossover randomized controlled trial
Akın-Sarı, B., İnözü, M., Hacıömeroğlu, A. B., Trak, E., Tufan, D., & Doron, G. (2022) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.118 · Cited by 22
Systematic assessment of the quality and integrity of popular mental health smartphone apps using the American Psychiatric Association's app evaluation model
Rickard, N. S., Kurt, P., & Meade, T. (2022) · Frontiers in Digital Health · doi:10.3389/fdgth.2022.1003181 · Cited by 25
Evaluating the quality, safety, and functionality of commonly used smartphone apps for bipolar disorder mood and sleep self-management
Morton, E., Nicholas, J., Yang, L., Lapadat, L., Barnes, S. J., Provencher, M. D., Depp, C., Chan, M., Kulur, R., & Michalak, E. E. (2022) · International Journal of Bipolar Disorders · doi:10.1186/s40345-022-00256-6 · Cited by 20
Economic evaluation of an online single-session intervention for depression in Kenyan adolescents.
Wasil, A. R., Kacmarek, C. N., Osborn, T. L., Palermo, E. H., DeRubeis, R. J., Weisz, J. R., & Yates, B. T. (2021) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/ccp0000669 · Cited by 20
Self-citation
Health Tracking via Mobile Apps for Depression Self-management: Qualitative Content Analysis of User Reviews
Polhemus, A. M., Simblett, S. K., Dawe‐Lane, E., Gilpin, G., Elliott, B., Jilka, S., Novák, J. M., Nica, R. I., Temesi, G., & Wykes, T. (2022) · JMIR Human Factors · doi:10.2196/40133 · Cited by 25
E-mental health implementation in inpatient care: Exploring its potential and future challenges
Assche, E. V., Bonroy, B., Mertens, M., den Broeck, L. V., Desie, K., Bolinski, F., Amarti, K., Kleiboer, A. M., Riper, H. M., & Daele, T. V. (2022) · Frontiers in Digital Health · doi:10.3389/fdgth.2022.1027864 · Cited by 22
Emotional competence self-help app versus cognitive behavioural self-help app versus self-monitoring app to prevent depression in young adults with elevated risk (ECoWeB PREVENT): an international, multicentre, parallel, open-label, randomised controlled trial
Watkins, E. R., Warren, F. C., Newbold, A., Hulme, C. T., Cranston, T., Aas, B., Bear, H. A., Botella, C., Burkhardt, F., Ehring, T. W., et al. (2024) · The Lancet Digital Health · doi:10.1016/s2589-7500(24)00148-1 · Cited by 23
A review of smartphone applications designed to improve occupational health, safety, and well-being at workplaces
Karlsen, I., Svendsen, P. A., & Abildgaard, J. S. (2022) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-022-13821-6 · Cited by 21
Cognitive reappraisal in mHealth interventions to foster mental health in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Morello, K., Schäfer, S. K., Kunzler, A. M., Priesterroth, L., Tüscher, O., & Kubiak, T. (2023) · Frontiers in Digital Health · doi:10.3389/fdgth.2023.1253390 · Cited by 26
In Their Own Words: Using Open-Ended Assessment to Identify Culturally Relevant Concerns among Kenyan Adolescents
Wasil, A. R., Venturo‐Conerly, K. E., Gillespie, S., Osborn, T. L., & Weisz, J. R. (2021) · Culture Medicine and Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s11013-020-09706-1 · Cited by 18
Self-citation
Willingness to use internet-based versus bibliotherapy interventions in a representative US sample: cross-sectional survey study
De Jesús-Romero, R., Wasil, A., & Lorenzo-Luaces, L. (2022) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/39508 · Cited by 18
Self-citation
Reinventing mental health care in youth through mobile approaches: Current status and future steps
Marciano, L., & Saboor, S. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1126015 · Cited by 17
Race and Socioeconomic Status as Predictors of Willingness to Use Digital Mental Health Interventions or One-On-One Psychotherapy: National Survey Study
Lorenzo-Luaces, L., Wasil, A., Kacmarek, C. N., & DeRubeis, R. (2024) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/49780 · Cited by 13
Self-citation
Efficacy of Intellect’s self-guided anxiety and worry mobile health programme: A randomized controlled trial with an active control and a 2-week follow-up
Kosasih, F. R., Yee, V. T. S., Toh, S. H. Y., & Sündermann, O. (2023) · PLOS Digital Health · doi:10.1371/journal.pdig.0000095 · Cited by 17
Availability of Internet-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies for Depression: A Systematic ReviewPreprint
Buss, J., Steinberg, J. S., Banks, G., Horani, D., Rutter, L. A., Wasil, A. R., Ramírez, I., & Lorenzo‐Luaces, L. (2020) · PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.1016/j.beth.2023.06.003 · Cited by 19
Self-citation
Journalists’ Perception of the Adoption of New Communication Technologies in the UAE’s Media Organizations
Ayyad, K., Moussa, M. B., & Zaid, B. (2023) · Journalism Practice · doi:10.1080/17512786.2023.2300277 · Cited by 15
“If Someone Walks In On Us Talking, Pretend to be My Friend, Not My Therapist": Challenges and Opportunities for Digital Mental Health Support in Saudi Arabia
Aldaweesh, S., AlAteeq, D. A., Kleek, M. G. V., & Shadbolt, N. (2024) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3613904.3642642 · Cited by 18
Engagement With a Relaxation and Mindfulness Mobile App Among People With Cancer: Exploratory Analysis of Use Data and Self-Reports From a Randomized Controlled Trial
Schläpfer, S., Schneider, F., Santhanam, P., Eicher, M., Kowatsch, T., Witt, C. M., & Barth, J. (2024) · JMIR Cancer · doi:10.2196/52386 · Cited by 14
The ecology of youth psychological wellbeing in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Salmon, K. (2021) · Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.jarmac.2021.11.002 · Cited by 15
The Flow brain stimulation headset for the treatment of depression: overview of its safety, efficacy and portable design
Borrione, L., Suen, P. J. C., Razza, L. B., dos Santos, L. A., Sudbrack-Oliveira, P., & Brunoni, A. R. (2020) · Expert Review of Medical Devices · doi:10.1080/17434440.2020.1813565 · Cited by 14
Serious video games and psychological support: A depression intervention among young cancer patients
Khan, S., Abbasi, A. Z., Kazmi, S. F., Ting, D. H., Rehman, U., Hlavacs, H., & Arslan, F. S. (2022) · Entertainment Computing · doi:10.1016/j.entcom.2022.100479 · Cited by 13
Design and development of a mobile-based self-care application for patients with depression and anxiety disorders
Moulaei, K., Bahaadinbeigy, K., Mashoof, E., & Dinari, F. (2023) · BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making · doi:10.1186/s12911-023-02308-y · Cited by 18
Acceptability, Engagement, and Exploratory Outcomes of an Emotional Well-being App: Mixed Methods Preliminary Evaluation and Descriptive Analysis
Eisenstadt, M., Liverpool, S., Metaxa, A.-M., Ciuvat, R. M., & Carlsson, C. (2021) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/31064 · Cited by 12
Emotional competence self-help mobile phone app versus cognitive behavioural self-help app versus self-monitoring app to promote mental wellbeing in healthy young adults (ECoWeB PROMOTE): an international, multicentre, parallel, open-label, randomised controlled trial
Watkins, E. R., Warren, F. C., Newbold, A., Hulme, C., Cranston, T., Aas, B., Bear, H., Botella, C., Burkhardt, F., Ehring, T., et al. (2024) · The Lancet Digital Health · doi:10.1016/s2589-7500(24)00149-3 · Cited by 12
Exploring the Role of Mobile Apps for Insomnia in Depression: Systematic Review
Chiu, Y.-H., Lee, Y.-F., Lin, H., & Cheng, L. (2024) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/51110 · Cited by 14
LLMs in Education: Evaluation GPT and BERT Models in Student Comment Classification
Pilicita, A., & Barra, E. (2025) · Multimodal Technologies and Interaction · doi:10.3390/mti9050044 · Cited by 16
Three Questions to Consider Before Applying Ecological Momentary Interventions (EMI) in Psychiatry
Gründahl, M., Deckert, J., & Hein, G. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00333 · Cited by 11
Is there an app for that? A review of popular mental health and wellness appsPreprint
Wasil, A. R., Palermo, E. H., Lorenzo‐Luaces, L., & DeRubeis, R. J. (2021) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/su4ar · Cited by 11
Self-citation
Managing depression in India: Opportunities for a targeted smartphone app
Ramnath, S., & Suri, G. (2021) · International Journal of Social Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/00207640211032253 · Cited by 10
Digitized thought records: a practitioner-focused review of cognitive restructuring apps
Erhardt, D., Bunyi, J., Dodge-Rice, Z., Neary, M., & Schueller, S. M. (2022) · The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist · doi:10.1017/s1754470x22000320 · Cited by 13
The role of implementation organizations in scaling evidence-based psychosocial interventions
Crane, M. E., Kendall, P. C., Chorpita, B. F., Sanders, M. R., Miller, A. R., Webster-Stratton, C. H., McWilliam, J., Beck, J. S., Ashen, C., Embry, D. D., et al. (2023) · Implementation Science · doi:10.1186/s13012-023-01280-5 · Cited by 9
More than a chatbot: a practical framework to harness artificial intelligence across key components to boost digital therapeutics quality
Baumel, A. (2025) · Frontiers in Digital Health · doi:10.3389/fdgth.2025.1541676 · Cited by 7
Evaluating Characteristics and Quality of Mental Health Apps Available in App Stores for Indian Users: Systematic App Search and Review
Mehrotra, S., Tripathi, R., Sengupta, P., Karishiddimath, A., Francis, A., Sharma, P., Sudhir, P. M., Srikanth, T. K., Rao, G. N., & Sagar, R. (2025) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/79238 · Cited by 7
Mental Health Apps for Children and Adolescents: A Clinician-Friendly Review
Schueller, S. M., Wasil, A. R., Bunyi, J., DeRubeis, R. J., & Weisz, J. R. (2023) · Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2023.07.1004 · Cited by 7
Self-citation
Mindful Self-Compassion Smartphone Intervention for Worker Mental Health in Japan: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial
Kurosawa, T., Adachi, K., & Takizawa, R. (2024) · JMIR Research Protocols · doi:10.2196/53541 · Cited by 9
Digital Media Interventions for Adolescent Mental Health
Hamilton, J. L., Siegel, D. M., & Carper, M. M. (2022) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108976237.021 · Cited by 7
Evaluation of mobile applications focused on the care of patients with anxiety disorders: A systematic review in app stores in Brazil
do Nascimento, V. S., Rodrigues, A. T., Rotta, I., Lima, T. D. M., & Aguiar, P. M. (2023) · International Journal of Medical Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2023.105087 · Cited by 6
Availability of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapies (iCBTs) for depression: A systematic reviewPreprint
Buss, J., Lorenzo‐Luaces, L., Banks, G., Horani, D., Rutter, L. A., & Wasil, A. R. (2020) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/2jwgd · Cited by 6
Self-citation
Stigma toward individuals with mental illness among Indian adolescents: Findings from three secondary schools and a cross-cultural comparisonPreprint
Wasil, A. R., Park, S. J., & DeRubeis, R. J. (2020) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/8xcrq · Cited by 6
Self-citation
A randomized clinical trial of app cognitive behavior therapy vs. HealthWatch for obsessive compulsive disorder
Wilhelm, S., Greenberg, J. L., Jacoby, R. J., Weingarden, H. M., Hoeppner, S. S., Klare, D. L., Snorrason, Í., Jaroszewski, A. C., McCoy, T. H., & Harrison, O. (2025) · npj Digital Medicine · doi:10.1038/s41746-025-02230-9 · Cited by 6
Psych-APP-Therapie: Smartphonebasierte Interventionen in der Psychotherapie – Eine systematische Übersichtsarbeit
Neumayr, C., Voderholzer, U., & Schlegl, S. (2020) · Verhaltenstherapie · doi:10.1159/000510954 · Cited by 5
Technological Advances in Treating Anxiety Disorders
Goetter, E. M., & Yuen, E. K. (2024) · Psychiatric Clinics of North America · doi:10.1016/j.psc.2024.04.020 · Cited by 5
Understanding the Relationship Between Mood Symptoms and Mobile App Engagement Among Patients With Breast Cancer Using Machine Learning: Case Study
Baglione, A. N., Cai, L., Bahrini, A., Posey, I. R., Boukhechba, M., & Chow, P. I. (2022) · JMIR Medical Informatics · doi:10.2196/30712 · Cited by 5
Commonly reported problems and coping strategies during the COVID-19 crisis: A survey of graduate and professional studentsPreprint
Wasil, A. R., Franzen, R. E., Gillespie, S., Steinberg, J. S., Malhotra, T., & DeRubeis, R. J. (2020) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/6wj85 · Cited by 5
Self-citation
Comparative efficacy of digital health interventions for depression and anxiety symptoms in adolescents and young adults: a systematic review and bayesian network meta-analysis
Wang, H., Yao, J., Jia, S., Chen, W., Guan, Y., Liu, J., Liao, M., Hu, E., & Zhang, Q. (2026) · Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health · doi:10.1186/s13034-026-01042-3 · Cited by 7
Automatic Code Generation of User-centered Serious Games: A Decade in Review
Silva-Vásquez, P. O., Rosales-Morales, V. Y., & Benítez–Guerrero, E. (2022) · Programming and Computer Software · doi:10.1134/s0361768822080187 · Cited by 4
Developing music streaming as an adjunct digital therapy for depression: A survey study to assess support from key stakeholders
Gadd, S., Tak, C. R., & Bulaj, G. W. (2020) · Journal of Affective Disorders Reports · doi:10.1016/j.jadr.2020.100048 · Cited by 5
Distinguishing the Effect of Time Spent at Home during COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of Urban and Suburban College Students Using Cell Phone Geolocation
Ayranci, P., Bandera, C., Phan, N., Jin, R., Li, D., & Kenne, D. R. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19127513 · Cited by 5
Protocol for a randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a CBT-based smartphone application for improving mental health outcomes in adolescents: the MobiliseMe study
Li, S., Achilles, M. R., Subotic-Kerry, M., Werner‐Seidler, A., Newby, J. M., Batterham, P. J., Christensen, H. M., Mackinnon, A. J., & O’Dea, B. (2022) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-022-04383-3 · Cited by 7
Mobile Sensing and Engagement Features in Arabic Mental Well-Being Apps: Systematic Search and Analysis
Aldaweesh, S., Kleek, M. G. V., & Shadbolt, N. (2023) · ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp) · doi:10.1145/3594739.3612875 · Cited by 4
Race and socioeconomic status as predictors of willingness to use internet-based treatments or face-to-face psychotherapy: A nationally representative studyPreprint
Lorenzo‐Luaces, L., Wasil, A. R., Kacmarek, C. N., & DeRubeis, R. J. (2022) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/bgct9 · Cited by 4
Self-citation
Disruption of sustained attention and orbitofrontal cortex engagement by incoming social media messages vary as a function of problematic social media use
Liu, X., Liu, H., Kendrick, K. M., Montag, C., & Becker, B. (2024) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2024.06.13.598945 · Cited by 3
Mobile health intervention CanRelax reduces distress in people with cancer in a randomized controlled trial
Barth, J., Schläpfer, S., Schneider, F., Santhanam, P., Kowatsch, T., Heinz, P., Held, U., Eicher, M., & Witt, C. M. (2025) · npj Digital Medicine · doi:10.1038/s41746-025-01688-x · Cited by 4
Understanding Challenges and Design Opportunities for Digital Mental Well-Being in Saudi Arabia
Aldaweesh, S. (2024) · CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA) · doi:10.1145/3613905.3638189 · Cited by 3
Boosting positive mood during stress: a Daily Coping Toolkit replication in college undergraduates
Disabato, D. J., Gawlik, E. A., Seah, T. H. S., & Coifman, K. G. (2025) · Anxiety Stress & Coping · doi:10.1080/10615806.2025.2457625 · Cited by 3
We’ll App and Corporate Mandala Improves Mental Health and Creativity
Chiou, W., Lin, M., Hsieh, K.-J., Liu, Y., Huang, D., Liu, C.-Y., & Lin, R. (2020) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-49913-6_3 · Cited by 3
The Impact of Social-Support, Self-efficacy and APP on MBI
Lin, S.-M., Lo, L., Liu, C.-Y., Liu, C., & Chiou, W. (2020) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-49913-6_12 · Cited by 4
The Association Between App-Administered Depression Assessments and Suicidal Ideation in User Comments: Retrospective Observational Study
DeForte, S., Huang, Y., Bourgeois, T., Hussain, S.-A., & Lin, S. M. (2020) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/18392 · Cited by 3
Preferences toward digital and non-digital mental health treatment delivery formats: A survey of Indian college studentsPreprint
Wasil, A. R., Malhotra, T., Tuteja, N., Nandakumar, N., Pandole, L., DeRubeis, R. J., Lorenzo‐Luaces, L., Naslund, J. A., & Bhatia, A. (2020) · PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/q8krz · Cited by 3
Self-citation
Development and Validation of a Depression Scale for Online Assessment: Cross-Sectional Observational Study
Jeon, M.-J., Park, H., Son, Y., Hyun, J. W., & Park, J. Y. (2025) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/70689 · Cited by 2

Authors: Wasil, A. R., Venturo-Conerly, K. E., Shingleton, R. M., & Weisz, J. R.
Affiliations: Harvard University (US)
Corresponding author: Wasil, Akash R.
ORCID: Wasil, Akash R.
Shingleton, Rebecca M.
Weisz, John R.
Venue: Behaviour Research and Therapy
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2019-12
Volume: 123
Pages: 103498
ISSN: 0005-7967 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2019.103498
OpenAlex: W2981909951
Cited by: 160
References: 55
Citations by year: 2026: 11 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 35 · 2021: 33 · 2020: 19
FWCI: 24.57
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
doi.org
Licence: cc-by
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
www.elsevier.com/legal/tdmrep-license (tdm)
doi.org/10.15223/policy-017 (stm-asf)
doi.org/10.15223/policy-037 (stm-asf)
doi.org/10.15223/policy-012 (stm-asf)
doi.org/10.15223/policy-029 (stm-asf)
doi.org/10.15223/policy-004 (stm-asf)
Locations: Behaviour Research and Therapy (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders: Harvard University
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
Keywords: mental health apps, mobile application, depression, anxiety, evidence-based treatment, common elements, psychoeducation, relaxation, meditation, mindfulness, cognitive restructuring, exposure therapy, problem solving, digital mental health
MeSH terms: Smartphone, Anxiety, Depression, Humans, Evidence-Based Practice, Mobile Applications

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

A review of popular smartphone apps for depression and anxiety: Assessing the inclusion of evidence-based content

Abstract

Overview

Integrity signals

Verification

Claims the paper makes

Claims other papers make about this one

Citations

Cites

Cited by

Related

Metadata

Record

About these checks