Six-months outcomes of a randomised trial of supportive text messaging for depression and comorbid alcohol use disorder

Depression in patients with alcohol use disorders: Systematic review and meta-analysis of outcomes for independent and substance-induced disorders

“…SID was noted to be an unstable diagnosis, with 24% of SID subjects exhibiting major depression associated with at least 4-weeks abstinence during follow up, thereby meeting criteria for ID. Agyapong et al (2013) studied the effect of supportive text messages as part of the follow up for patients with depression and a comorbid alcohol use disorder. In this randomised trial the text message intervention appeared to have an effect on depression at 3 months but the 6-month follow up suggested there was no enduring benefit from the intervention after it finished.…”

Feasibility and Effects of Digital Interventions to Support People in Recovery From Substance Use Disorders: Systematic Review (Preprint)

“…The rest of the interventions were less intense and had a longer duration. In these, participants typically received and sent two messages each day for three months [35] or 10 months [50], one message each day for two to four months [39,42,45,55,56], or one each week for six months [49]. There is not much information in the papers documenting whether the participants actually read the messages they received.…”

“…were a text messaging system [34,35], an integrated online counseling intervention [37], a computerized intervention for anger management (Cougle et al, 2017), integrated text messaging systems that included online counseling [49][50][51], a text messaging intervention that included medication monitoring and support [82], and a GPS based app designed to predict the location of heroin craving [52]. Three studies focused on alcohol only, while four addressed mixed or poly substance use.…”

How Google’s ‘Ten Things We Know To Be True’ Could Guide The Development Of Mental Health Mobile Apps

“…[13][14][15][16] These innovations include mobile apps that encourage adherence to treatment, such as text-based appointment reminders and automated text messages following discharge from an inpatient treatment facility.…”

“…16 This may be because the supportive message intervention had no long-lasting effect. The results indicate the need for further investigation into text message interventions, since the intervention described above was simple, feasible, inexpensive, and potentially highly scalable (from individuals to large or remotely dispersed populations).…”