Depression : mobile applications help to relieve

AntonioGuillemF/Epictura

Published the 25.09.2017 à 16h41

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Keywords :

dépressionsmartphone

It affects 300 million people around the world, more than one in 25, according to estimates of the world Health Organization (WHO). Depression is the leading cause of morbidity and disability in the world. And its incidence is on the rise. She would have jumped by 18 % between 2005 and 2015.

In many countries, aid is low or non-existent, and even in the countries with the highest income, only 50% of the patients would be treated. Last march, Dr. Margaret Chan, then director of the WHO, has called on all countries to rethink their approach to mental health.

Researchers from the national Institute of complementary medicine australia (NICM) may have found an interesting tool : the smartphone. A study they have conducted shows that it may be useful to track, understand, and take charge of the depression.

A tool shed

Specialists in australian, including the article was published in the journal World Psychiatry, have conducted a review of literature on 18 robust studies, which evaluated the usefulness of 22 applications cover mental illnesses. Together, they provide data for 3,400 people aged 18 to 59 years of age, with mental symptoms, including depression, mild, moderate, and major, bipolar disorders, anxiety, and insomnia.

“The majority of people living in developed countries have smartphones, including more young people, who are increasingly affected by the depression, recalls Joseph Firth, a researcher in psychology at the Western Sydney University (Australia), lead author of the study. Thanks to the rapid technological advances in the field, these devices could provide effective treatments for depression, so instantly accessible, and very efficient. This would reduce the economic and social burden of this condition. “