Abstract

BackgroundDepression is a major cause for disability worldwide, and digital health interventions are expected to be an augmentative and effective treatment. According to the fast-growing field of information and communication technologies and its dissemination, there is a need for mapping the technological landscape and its benefits for users.ObjectiveThe purpose of this scoping review was to give an overview of the digital health interventions used for depression. The main goal of this review was to provide a comprehensive review of the system landscape and its technological state and functions, as well as its evidence and benefits for users.MethodsA scoping review was conducted to provide a comprehensive overview of the field of digital health interventions for the treatment of depression. PubMed, PSYNDEX, and the Cochrane Library were searched by two independent researchers in October 2020 to identify relevant publications of the last 10 years, which were examined using the inclusion and exclusion criteria. To conduct the review, we used Rayyan, a freely available web tool.ResultsIn total, 65 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. After categorizing the studies into the areas of prevention, early detection, therapy, and relapse prevention, we found dominant numbers of studies in the area of therapy (n=52). There was only one study for prevention, 5 studies for early detection, and 7 studies for relapse prevention. The most dominant therapy approaches were cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and problem-solving therapy. Most of the studies revealed significant effects of digital health interventions when cognitive behavioral therapy was applied. Cognitive behavioral therapy as the most dominant form was often provided through web-based systems. Combined interventions consisting of web-based and smartphone-based approaches are increasingly found.ConclusionsDigital health interventions for treating depression are quite comprehensive. There are different interventions focusing on different fields of care. While most interventions can be beneficial to achieve a better depression treatment, it can be difficult to determine which approaches are suitable. Cognitive behavioral therapy through digital health interventions has shown good effects in the treatment of depression, but treatment for depression still stays very individualistic.

Highlights

  • MethodsDepressive disorders are among the most significant and widespread diseases, and their relevance will continue to increase in the coming years

  • The findings of our analysis highlight some of the challenges and opportunities for the use of digital health interventions (DHIs) for depression. The aim of this scoping review was to approach the state of DHIs for mild and moderate depression and try to describe those interventions for depression care

  • It is known that DHIs have great potential to complement the treatment of depressive people and intensify traditional psychotherapy

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Summary

Introduction

MethodsDepressive disorders are among the most significant and widespread diseases, and their relevance will continue to increase in the coming years. Depression is a major cause for disability worldwide, and digital health interventions are expected to be an augmentative and effective treatment. Objective: The purpose of this scoping review was to give an overview of the digital health interventions used for depression. Methods: A scoping review was conducted to provide a comprehensive overview of the field of digital health interventions for the treatment of depression. The most dominant therapy approaches were cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and problem-solving therapy. Most of the studies revealed significant effects of digital health interventions when cognitive behavioral therapy was applied. Cognitive behavioral therapy as the most dominant form was often provided through web-based systems. Cognitive behavioral therapy through digital health interventions has shown good effects in the treatment of depression, but treatment for depression still stays very individualistic

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