Frontier mental health research: psychedelics & drug studies

Delivering Cognitive Behavior Therapy to Young Adults With Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety Using a Fully Automated Conversational Agent (Woebot): A Randomized Controlled Trial

Kathleen Kara Fitzpatrick, Alison Darcy, Molly Vierhile

JMIR Mental Health • Summary & key facts • 2017 • 2,318 citations

This small randomized trial tested a fully automated text-based conversational agent called Woebot as a way to deliver cognitive behavioral therapy to college-age young adults with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Over 2 weeks, the Woebot group (n=34) showed a statistically larger drop in depression scores (PHQ-9) than an information-only…

Digital Mental Health Interventions Impact of Technology on Adolescents Mental Health Research Topics

Social Media Use and Its Connection to Mental Health: A Systematic Review

Fazida Karim, Azeezat Abimbola Oyewande, Lamis F Abdalla, Reem Chaudhry Ehsanullah, Safeera Khan

Cureus • Summary & key facts • 2020 • 367 citations

This systematic review looked at research on social media and mental health. The authors state that social media are responsible for making mental health problems worse. They searched 50 papers and, after applying selection rules, included 16 studies. The final papers were checked for quality and included a mix of…

Digital Mental Health Interventions Impact of Technology on Adolescents Social Media in Health Education

Mental Health Prevention and Promotion—A Narrative Review

Vijender Singh, Akash Kumar, Snehil Gupta

Frontiers in Psychiatry • Summary & key facts • 2022 • 211 citations

This review summarizes research on promoting mental wellbeing and preventing mental illness. It says many prevention and promotion programs work, including newer digital and community-based approaches, but most strong evidence comes from high-income countries. The review notes big gaps in real-world use, especially in low- and middle-income countries, and calls…

Digital Mental Health Interventions Health disparities and outcomes Mental Health Treatment and Access

Effect of Internet vs Face-to-Face Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Health Anxiety: A Randomized Noninferiority Clinical Trial

Erland Axelsson, Erik Andersson, Brjánn Ljótsson, Daniel Björkander, Maria Hedman-Lagerlöf, Erik Hedman-Lagerlöf

PubMed Central (PMC) • Summary & key facts • 2020 • 116 citations

This randomized noninferiority clinical trial examines the effect of internet-delivered vs face-to-face cognitive behavior therapy especially in light of resources, access, and cost.

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Digital Mental Health Interventions Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments

Cognitive-Behavioral Treatments for Anxiety and Stress-Related Disorders

Joshua Curtiss, Daniella Levine, Ilana Ander, Amanda W. Baker

FOCUS The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry • Summary & key facts • 2021 • 111 citations

This review says cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a well-researched, first-line treatment for anxiety and related disorders. CBT is structured and often manualized, usually delivered weekly for a limited period (about 12–16 weeks) and sometimes followed by booster sessions. Core CBT methods are cognitive techniques (like identifying thinking traps, cognitive restructuring,…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Digital Mental Health Interventions

Efficacy of digital cognitive behavioral therapy for moderate‐to‐severe symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder: A randomized controlled trial

Jenna R. Carl, Christopher B. Miller, Alasdair L. Henry, Michelle L. Davis, Richard Stott, Jasper A. J. Smits, et al.

Depression and Anxiety • Summary & key facts • 2020 • 80 citations

Digital CBT (Daylight) appears to be safe and efficacious for symptoms of anxiety, worry, and further measures of mental health compared with waitlist control in individuals with GAD.

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Digital Mental Health Interventions Mental Health Research Topics

Study Protocol for “Psilocybin as a Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa: A Pilot Study”

Spriggs, Meg J., Douglass, Hannah M., Park, Rebecca J., et al.

www.frontiersin.org • Summary & key facts • 2021 • 74 citations

This paper describes a pilot study protocol that will test psilocybin-assisted therapy in 20 adult females with anorexia nervosa. Participants will get up to three oral doses (up to 25 mg) over a 6-week period, with psychological preparation, support people involved, and remote follow-up for 12 months. The study aims…

Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies Digital Mental Health Interventions Psychedelics and Drug Studies

Couple therapy in the 2020s: Current status and emerging developments

Jay Lebow, Douglas K Snyder

PubMed Central (PMC) • Summary & key facts • 2022 • 66 citations

This paper reviews couple therapy in the 2020s. It says couple therapy has become a main way to help couples and is grounded in strong research from studies of couple therapy and relational science. The review reports that couple therapy is widely accepted for reducing relationship distress and improving relationship…

Attachment and Relationship Dynamics Digital Mental Health Interventions Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications

Effectiveness of Digital Mental Health Tools to Reduce Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Jiyeong Kim, Lois Maame Donkor Aryee, Heejung Bang, Steffi Prajogo, Yong Kyung Choi, Jeffrey S. Hoch, et al.

JMIR Mental Health • Summary & key facts • 2023 • 63 citations

The researchers did a large, careful search for studies of digital mental health tools (things like websites, phone apps, text messages, or online therapy) aimed at reducing depression and anxiety in low- and middle-income countries. They only kept randomized controlled trials, which are studies where people are randomly put into…

Digital Mental Health Interventions Impact of Technology on Adolescents Mental Health Research Topics

Exploring the Ethical Challenges of Conversational AI in Mental Health Care: Scoping Review

Mehrdad Rahsepar Meadi, Tomas Sillekens, Suzanne Metselaar, Anton J.L.M. van Balkom, Justin Bernstein, Neeltje M. Batelaan

JMIR Mental Health • Summary & key facts • 2025 • 59 citations

This scoping review looks at the ethical issues raised by conversational AI (CAI) in mental health care. It finds that AI tools are already in use or development, but there is little specific ethical discussion or formal codes of practice. The review shows some topics are underexplored and that the…

Digital Mental Health Interventions Mental Health via Writing Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments

Internet-Delivered Versus Face-to-Face Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Narges Esfandiari, Mohammad A Mazaheri, Saeed Akbari-Zardkhaneh, Vahid Sadeghi-Firoozabadi, Mona Cheraghi

PubMed Central (PMC) • Summary & key facts • 2021 • 41 citations

This review pooled data from trials that directly compared therapist-guided internet-delivered CBT (ICBT) with face-to-face CBT for anxiety disorders. Eight randomized studies were included, and the combined result showed a near-zero difference between the two formats (Hedges' g = 0.01, 95% CI −0.16 to 0.18). The authors concluded that ICBT…

Digital Mental Health Interventions Impact of Technology on Adolescents Mental Health Research Topics

Human-Human vs Human-AI Therapy: An Empirical Study

Mohammad Amin Kuhail, Nazik Alturki, Justin Thomas, Amal K. Alkhalifa, Amal Alshardan

International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction • Summary & key facts • 2024 • 39 citations

Sixty-three mental health therapists read therapy transcripts from early-stage sessions and could not reliably tell which were with a human therapist and which were with Pi, a conversational AI. Their average accuracy was 53.9%, which is about what you would expect by chance. On average, therapists rated the AI transcripts…

AI in Service Interactions Digital Mental Health Interventions Ethics and Social Impacts of AI