Abstract:
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and panic disorder (PD) are among the most diagnosed anxiety disorders in adults (4). Since the onset of the pandemic, there has been a growing number of mobile applications that attempt to treat anxiety disorders in adults. However, there is a lack of information on whether mobile health applications to treat anxiety disorders effectively reduces the primary symptoms among patients. This systematic literature review aimed to investigate whether mobile mental health applications are effective at reducing symptoms that are associated with GAD and PD. A search of the literature transpired using Internet Archive Scholar and PubMed Central following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Data from the 8 relevant articles were thematically analyzed using a screening process of constant comparing of notes from two reviewers, using a final consensus, and categorizing statements that related directly to our research question on whether mobile mental health applications are effective at reducing the primary symptoms associated with anxiety disorders. The authors identified four themes that emerged from the literature during the data analysis process. The themes included accessibility, efficacy of mobile mental health applications, barriers to mental health care, and anxiety disorder treatment. The findings indicate that mobile mental health applications in general are effective at accessibility and reducing the primary symptoms that are found in individuals with anxiety disorders. The implications of these findings provide clinicians an opportunity to provide greater accessibility to individuals that typically don't have access to care.
|