The DOI matches its Crossref record; 17 of the 18 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
App-based psychological interventions: friend or foe?
Open accessAbstract
In a time of increasing demand for psychological services and continually decreasing resources, unmet need with respect to National Health Service (NHS) mental health services is reaching an unprecedented level.1 While monthly referrals to community mental health teams increased 13% in 2013, and 16% in the case of crisis services, investment in mental health services has fallen in real terms for three successive years,2 not helped by the government's £22 billion target for efficiency savings. As such, the resulting loss of over 200 full-time mental health doctors and 3600 nurses1 has meant that despite a £450 million investment in reducing waiting times3 and increasing access to psychological therapies (IAPT), 1 in 10 patients experience waiting lists of over a year before receiving any form of treatment, with 1 in 2 waiting over 3 months.4 One in 6 of those on waiting lists for mental health services are expected to attempt suicide, 4 in 10 are expected to self-harm and two-thirds are likely to see their condition deteriorate before having the opportunity to see a mental health professional.1 ,5 As such, approximately 70 million sick days6 and 170 000 self-harm related accident and emergency attendances7 can be attributed to underlying mental health issues in the UK every year; with these individuals also exhibiting double the rate of both inpatient and outpatient hospital attendances compared to the UK general population.8 Unfortunately long-term prospects for those with mental health issues are not much better. Those suffering from serious mental illness face twice the risk of diabetes and death from heart disease,9 three times the risk of hypertension and a fourfold increase in all-cause premature mortality when compared with the UK general population; all of which contributing to the £105billion that mental distress costs the …
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“As a result, a huge number of health apps are widely available to the general healthcare public without possessing best-practice guidelines and certifications or a standardised validation process to assess their long-term cost benefits [28].”
From Cost-effectiveness of the mobile application TCApp combined with face-to-face CBT treatment compared to face-to-face CBT treatment alone for patients with an eating disorder: Study protocol of a multi-centre randomised controlled trial (2018) · cites this paper as [28]
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Citations
Cites
Treatment gap in mental health care.
Abramowitz, M. Z., Greenberg, D., & Levav, I. (2008) · PubMed · Cited by 1,483
Computer-based psychological treatments for depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Richards, D., & Richardson, T. (2012) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2012.02.004 · Cited by 1,442
The treatment gap in mental health care.
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Psychotherapy relationships that work : therapist contributions and responsiveness to patients
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Psychotherapy Relationships That Work: Therapist Contributions and Responsiveness to Patients
Weiner, I. B. (2003) · Psychotherapy Research · doi:10.1093/ptr/kpg044 · Cited by 1,158
Dennison, L., Morrison, L., Conway, G., & Yardley, L. (2013) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.2583 · Cited by 895
Martínez-Pérez, B., de la Torre-Díez, I., & López-Coronado, M. (2013) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.2600 · Cited by 550
Mobile Apps for Bipolar Disorder: A Systematic Review of Features and Content Quality
Nicholas, J., Larsen, M. E., Proudfoot, J., & Christensen, H. (2015) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.4581 · Cited by 438
Kim, D., Wampold, B. E., & Bolt, D. M. (2006) · Psychotherapy Research · doi:10.1080/10503300500264911 · Cited by 353
Transdiagnostic internet treatment for anxiety and depression: a randomised controlled trial
Titov, N., Dear, B. F., Schwencke, G., Andrews, G., Johnston, L., Craske, M. G., & McEvoy, P. (2011) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2011.03.007 · Cited by 285 · cited 1×
“To date, a number of mental health apps have demonstrated effect sizes comparable to the conventional standard of care,(13) 14 while circumventing financial barriers to treatment including a lack of available trained professionals, waiting lists and the indirect costs of seeking treatment.(13) 15 16 Research has shown…”
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- 10.1590/S0042-96862004001100011 · DOI
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Mental Health Mobile Apps for Preadolescents and Adolescents: A Systematic Review.
Grist, R., Porter, J., & Stallard, P. (2017) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.7332 · Cited by 518
Standalone smartphone apps for mental health—a systematic review and meta-analysis
Weisel, K. K., Fuhrmann, L. M., Berking, M., Baumeister, H., Cuijpers, P., & Ebert, D. D. (2019) · npj Digital Medicine · doi:10.1038/s41746-019-0188-8 · Cited by 447
Consumer Mobile Health Apps: Current State, Barriers, and Future Directions
Kao, C., & Liebovitz, D. M. (2017) · PM&R · doi:10.1016/j.pmrj.2017.02.018 · Cited by 350
Mental health: there’s an app for that
Anthes, E. (2016) · Nature · doi:10.1038/532020a · Cited by 333
Gál, É., Ștefan, S., & Cristea, I. A. (2021) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.09.134 · Cited by 289
Metadata
- Authors
- Leigh, S., & Flatt, S.
- Affiliations
- University of Liverpool (GB)
- Psychological Therapies Unit CIC, Liverpool, UK
- Corresponding author
- Leigh, Simon
- ORCID
- Leigh, Simon
- Venue
- Evidence Based Mental Health
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2015-10-12
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 97-99
- ISSN
- 1362-0347 (ISSN-L)
- 1468-960X
- PMC
- PMC11234577
- OpenAlex
- W2173878884
- Cited by
- 140
- References
- 18
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 26.43
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Evidence-Based Mental Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
- Keywords
- mental health apps, unmet mental health needs, severe mental illness, self-harm, suicide risk, mental health service funding
- MeSH terms
- Mental Disorders, United Kingdom, Health Services Needs and Demand, Humans, Mental Health Services, Psychotherapy, Mobile Applications
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