Background College students are increasingly reporting common mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety, and they frequently encounter barriers to seeking traditional mental health treatments. Digital mental health interventions, such as those delivered via the Web and apps, offer the potential to improve access to mental health treatment. Objective This study aimed to review the literature on digital mental health interventions focused on depression, anxiety, and enhancement of psychological well-being among samples of college students to identify the effectiveness, usability, acceptability, uptake, and adoption of such programs. Methods We conducted a systematic review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (registration number CRD42018092800), and the search strategy was conducted by a medical research librarian in the following databases: MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Elsevier), PsycINFO (EbscoHost), the Cochrane Library (Wiley), and Web of Science (Thomson Reuters) from the date of inception to April 2019. Data were synthesized using a systematic narrative synthesis framework, and formal quality assessments were conducted to address the risk of bias. Results A total of 89 studies met the inclusion criteria. The majority of interventions (71/89, 80%) were delivered via a website, and the most common intervention was internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (28, 31%). Many programs (33, 37%) featured human support in the form of coaching. The majority of programs were either effective (42, 47%) or partially effective (30, 34%) in producing beneficial changes in the main psychological outcome variables. Approximately half of the studies (45, 51%) did not present any usability or acceptability outcomes, and few studies (4, 4%) examined a broad implementation of digital mental health interventions on college campuses. Quality assessments revealed a moderate-to-severe risk of bias in many of the studies. Conclusions Results suggest that digital mental health interventions can be effective for improving depression, anxiety, and psychological well-being among college students, but more rigorous studies are needed to ascertain the effective elements of these interventions. Continued research on improving the user experience of, and thus user engagement with, these programs appears vital for the sustainable implementation of digital mental health interventions on college campuses.

BackgroundDigital mental health tools have tended to use psychoeducational strategies based on treatment orientations developed and validated outside of digital health. These features do not map well to the brief but frequent ways that people use mobile phones and mobile phone apps today. To address these challenges, we developed a suite of apps for depression and anxiety called IntelliCare, each developed with a focused goal and interactional style. IntelliCare apps prioritize interactive skills training over education and are designed for frequent but short interactions.ObjectiveThe overall objective of this study was to pilot a coach-assisted version of IntelliCare and evaluate its use and efficacy at reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety.MethodsParticipants, recruited through a health care system, Web-based and community advertising, and clinical research registries, were included in this single-arm trial if they had elevated symptoms of depression or anxiety. Participants had access to the 14 IntelliCare apps from Google Play and received 8 weeks of coaching on the use of IntelliCare. Coaching included an initial phone call plus 2 or more texts per week over the 8 weeks, with some participants receiving an additional brief phone call. Primary outcomes included the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) for anxiety. Participants were compensated up to US $90 for completing all assessments; compensation was not for app use or treatment engagement.ResultsOf the 99 participants who initiated treatment, 90.1% (90/99) completed 8 weeks. Participants showed substantial reductions in the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 (P<.001). Participants used the apps an average of 195.4 (SD 141) times over the 8 weeks. The average length of use was 1.1 (SD 2.1) minutes, and 95% of participants downloaded 5 or more of the IntelliCare apps.ConclusionsThis study supports the IntelliCare framework of providing a suite of skills-focused apps that can be used frequently and briefly to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. The IntelliCare system is elemental, allowing individual apps to be used or not used based on their effectiveness and utility, and it is eclectic, viewing treatment strategies as elements that can be applied as needed rather than adhering to a singular, overarching, theoretical model.Trial RegistrationClinicaltrials.gov NCT02176226; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02176226 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation/6mQZuBGk1)

In recent years, there has been increasing discussion of the limitations of traditional randomized controlled trial (RCT) methodologies for the evaluation of eHealth and mHealth interventions, and in particular, the requirement that these interventions be locked down during evaluation. Locking down these interventions locks in defects and eliminates the opportunities for quality improvement and adaptation to the changing technological environment, often leading to validation of tools that are outdated by the time that trial results are published. Furthermore, because behavioral intervention technologies change frequently during real-world deployment, even if a tested intervention were deployed in the real world, its shelf life would be limited. We argue that RCTs will have greater scientific and public health value if they focus on the evaluation of intervention principles (rather than a specific locked-down version of the intervention), allowing for ongoing quality improvement modifications to the behavioral intervention technology based on the core intervention principles, while continuously improving the functionality and maintaining technological currency. This paper is an initial proposal of a framework and methodology for the conduct of trials of intervention principles (TIPs) aimed at minimizing the risks of in-trial changes to intervention technologies and maximizing the potential for knowledge acquisition. The focus on evaluation of intervention principles using clinical and usage outcomes has the potential to provide more generalizable and durable information than trials focused on a single intervention technology.

The therapeutic alliance has demonstrated an association with favorable psychotherapeutic outcomes in the treatment of eating disorders (EDs). However, questions remain about the interrelationships between early alliance, early symptom improvement, and treatment outcome. We conducted a meta-analysis on the relations among these constructs, and possible moderators of these relations, in psychosocial treatments for EDs. Twenty studies met inclusion criteria and supplied sufficient supplementary data. Results revealed small-to-moderate effect sizes, bs 5 0.13 to 0.22 (p < .05), indicating that early symptom improvement was related to subsequent alliance quality and that alliance ratings also were related to subsequent symptom reduction. The relationship between early alliance and treatment outcome was partially accounted for by early symptom improvement. With regard to moderators, early alliance showed weaker associations with outcome in therapies with a strong behavioral component relative to nonbehavioral therapies.However, alliance showed stronger relations to outcome for younger (vs. older) patients, over and above the variance shared with early symptom improvement. In sum, early symptom reduction enhances therapeutic alliance and treatment outcome in EDs, but early alliance may require specific attention for younger patients and for those receiving nonbehaviorally oriented treatments.Resumen: Objetivo: La alianza terap eutica entre paciente y terapeuta ha demostrado ser una relaci on con resultados psicoterap euticos favorables en el tratamiento de los trastornos de la conducta alimentaria (TCA). Sin embargo, quedan preguntas acerca de la inter-relaci on entre alianza temprana, mejoría temprana de síntomas y resultados del tratamiento. Hicimos un meta-an alisis de la relaci on entre estos constructos y los posibles moderadores de estas relaciones en los tratamientos psicosociales para TCA. M etodo: Veinti un estudios reunieron los criterios de inclusi on y aportaron suficientes datos suplementarios. Resultados: los resultados revelaron un efecto de la talla pequeño a moderado, b 5 0.13 a 0.22 (p < .05), encontrando que la mejoría temprana de los síntomas estuvo relacionada con la subsecuente calidad de la alianza y las calificaciones de la alianza tambi en estuvieron relacionadas con la subsecuente reducci on de los síntomas. La relaci on entre alianza temprana y resultados de tratamiento fue parcialmente explicada por la temprana mejoría de los síntomas. Con relaci on a los moderadores, la alianza temprana mostr o d ebiles asociaciones con el resultado en terapias con un fuerte componente conductual relativo a terapias no conductuales. Sin embargo, la alianza mostr o m as fuerte relaci on con los resultados para pacientes m as j ovenes (versus mayores), por encima y sobre la varianza compartida con la temprana mejoría de síntomas. Discusi on: En resumen, la reducci on temprana de los síntomas refuerza la alianza terap eutica y los resultados del tratamiento en TCA, pero la alianza temprana puede reque...

BackgroundTreatments for depression and anxiety have several behavioral and psychological targets and rely on varied strategies. Digital mental health treatments often employ feature-rich approaches addressing several targets and strategies. These treatments, often optimized for desktop computer use, are at odds with the ways people use smartphone applications. Smartphone use tends to focus on singular functions with easy navigation to desired tools. The IntelliCare suite of apps was developed to address the discrepancy between need for diverse behavioral strategies and constraints imposed by typical app use. Each app focuses on one strategy for a limited subset of clinical aims all pertinent to depression and anxiety. This study presents the uptake and usage of apps from the IntelliCare suite following an open deployment on a large app marketplace.MethodsThirteen lightweight apps, including 12 interactive apps and one Hub app that coordinates use across those interactive apps, were developed and made free to download on the Google Play store. De-identified app usage data from the first year of IntelliCare suite deployment were analyzed for this study.ResultsIn the first year of public availability, 5210 individuals downloaded one or more of the IntelliCare apps, for a total of 10,131 downloads. Nearly a third of these individuals (31.8%) downloaded more than one of these apps. The modal number of launches for each of the apps was 1, however the mean number of app launches per app ranged from 3.10 to 16.98, reflecting considerable variability in the use of each app.ConclusionsThe use rate of the IntelliCare suite of apps is higher than public deployments of other comparable digital resources. Our findings suggest that people will use multiple apps and provides support for the concept of app suites as a useful strategy for providing diverse behavioral strategies.

OBJECTIVES Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) is a vascular compression syndrome with symptoms that overlap chronic functional abdominal pain (CFAP). We report our experience treating MALS in a pediatric cohort previously diagnosed with CFAP. PATIENTS AND METHODS We prospectively evaluated 46 pediatric (<21 years of age) patients diagnosed with MALS at a tertiary care referral center from 2008 to 2012. All patients had previously been diagnosed with CFAP. Patients were evaluated for celiac artery compression by duplex ultrasound and diagnosis was confirmed by computed tomography. Quality of life (QOL) was determined by pre- and post-surgical administration of PedsQLtm questionnaire. The patients underwent laparoscopic release of the median arcuate ligament overlying the celiac artery which included surgical neurolysis. We examined the hemodynamic changes in parameters of the celiac artery and peri-operative QOL outcomes to determine correlation. RESULTS All patients had studies suggestive of MALS on duplex and computed tomography. 91% (n=42) positive for MALS were females. All patients underwent a technically satisfactory laparoscopic surgical release resulting in a significant improvement in blood flow through the celiac artery. There were no deaths and a total of 9 complications, 8 requiring a secondary procedure. 33 patients were administered QOL surveys. 18 patients completed the survey with 15 (83%) patients reporting overall improvement in the QOL. Overall, 31/46 patients (67%) reported improvement of symptoms since the time of surgery. CONCLUSIONS MALS was found to be more common in pediatric females than males. Laparoscopic release of the celiac artery can be performed safely in the pediatric population. Surgical release of the artery and resultant neurolysis resulted in significant improvement in the blood flow, symptoms, and overall QOL in this cohort. The overall improvement in QOL outcome measures after surgery leads us to conclude that MALS might be earlier diagnosed and possibly treated in patients with CFAP. We recommend a multidisciplinary team approach to care for these complex patients.

Depression is common in primary care settings, but barriers prevent many primary care patients from initiating treatment. Smartphone apps stand as a possible means to overcome such barriers. However, there is limited evidence to understand the use and efficacy of these apps. The purpose of the current study was to pilot an evaluation of the usage and efficacy of apps for depression based upon behavioral or cognitive intervention skills, compared to a wait-list control. Thirty adults with depression were randomized to the use of either a behavioral app (Boost Me) or a cognitive app (Thought Challenger) or to a wait-list control. Boost Me and Thought Challenger participants received 6 weeks of the respective intervention along with weekly coaching sessions, with a 4-week follow-up period; wait-list control participants received no interventions for 10 weeks. A repeated-measures analysis of variance was conducted to examine depression over time and across treatment groups; t tests compared app usage across groups. Depression scores changed significantly over time (p < .001), with group differences occurring between Thought Challenger and wait-list control participants (p = .03). Boost Me was used significantly more than was Thought Challenger (p = .02); however, there was no evidence to suggest correlations between usage and changes in depression (ps > .05). The present study provides initial support that intervention strategies for depression delivered via apps with human support can impact symptoms and may promote continued use over 6 weeks. This pilot also demonstrates the feasibility of future research regarding the delivery of behavioral and cognitive intervention strategies via apps.

Objective The diagnostic concordance of the interview (EDE) and questionnaire (EDE-Q) versions of the Eating Disorder Examination was examined. Method Two-hundred seventeen patients seeking eating disorder (ED) treatment completed the EDE and EDE-Q before beginning treatment. Diagnostic algorithms were generated for the DSM-IV-TR and proposed DSM-5 criteria using data first from the EDE and then from the EDE-Q; thus, each participant received four diagnoses. Results The sensitivity of the EDE-Q for individual diagnoses ranged from 27.8% to 84.3% (DSM-IV-TR) and from 36.8% to 80.8% (DSM-5). The specificity of the EDE-Q for individual diagnoses ranged from 71.1% to 98.5% (DSM-IV-TR) and from 77.3% to 98.0% (DSM-5). The overall diagnostic concordance was moderate (κ=0.57-0.60). Discussion The proposed DSM-5 criteria improved the diagnostic concordance of the two instruments and reduced the prevalence of Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS). However, concordance improvement was modest and both instruments still diagnosed most respondents with EDNOS.