Managing Distress Using Mobile Prescriptions of Psychological Pills
A First 6-Month Effectiveness Study of the PsyPills App
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15518034 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Oana A David, Oana David (0000-0001-8706-1778, Babeș-Bolyai University, corresponding author), Daniel David (0000-0002-9081-423X) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Pages | 201-201 |
| Publication date | 2019-05-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Psychiatry (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1664-0640 • E-ISSN: 1664-0640 |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00201 |
| PMID | 31118904 |
| OpenAlex | W2943506053 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 21 |
Background: Although numerous mental health apps are commercially available, only a few of them have been empirically tested. PsyPills is an interactive and personalized mobile application, based on emotion regulation research and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy principles, that can function as a stand-alone intervention aimed at offering immediate stress relief. Objective: In this paper, we describe the newly developed PsyPills app and present data obtained at 6 months after its release regarding its effectiveness for stress management. Methods: 115 users aged 15-79 years old ( M = 39.01, SD = 13.49) accessed the app during the first 6 months after its release and were thus included in the study. Distress and specific cognitive processes were collected using visual analog scale measures. Results: Most users accessed the app with the purpose of searching anxiety relief and most often reported work-related distress. Seventy-Four users accessed PsyPills between 1 and 11 times ( M = 2.68, SD = 2.59), and received 258 psychological prescriptions in total. PsyPills was effective in terms of reducing the frequency of dysfunctional emotions, such that significantly more users reported feeling functional emotions after accessing the application and reading its personalized prescriptions than those reporting not being able to change it [χ 2 (1, N = 52) = 52.00 p Conclusions: Based on initial data on its first 6-month usage, the PsyPills app appears to be promising in terms of offering stress relief. However, future studies need to use golden standard design and investigate its efficacy as an adjunctive intervention
Distress · Medical prescription · Mental health · Mobile apps · Pill · Psychiatry · Psychological distress · Psychotherapist · World Wide Web · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Computer Science · Digital Mental Health Interventions · Medicine · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Psychology · Pharmacology
| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2024 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |