Smartphone App for Anxiety and Depression

Overseen By Eilis I Murphy, BA

Age: 18 - 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Trustees of Dartmouth College

Disqualifiers: Acute psychosis, Suicidal ideation, Bipolar, Cancer, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 12 weeks

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial tests a smartphone app called Mood Triggers to determine its effectiveness in reducing anxiety and depression. The goal is to lower cancer risk by addressing these mental health issues. Participants will use the app to receive personalized tips and watch short videos to learn skills for managing their symptoms. Suitable candidates have moderate to severe anxiety or depression, are fluent in English, own a smartphone, and have no history of bipolar disorder or recent cancer diagnoses. As an unphased trial, this study provides a unique opportunity to contribute to innovative mental health solutions.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications, but you must not have changed treatments or medications in the past 30 days to participate.

What prior data suggests that the Mood Triggers App is safe for users?

Research has shown that Mood Triggers, a smartphone app, helps users manage anxiety and depression by identifying personal triggers. Users have generally rated the app positively, with an average satisfaction score of 3.86 out of 5 stars, indicating that many find it helpful.

Detailed information about negative effects or safety issues related to the app is limited. As a smartphone app, not a medication or medical procedure, it typically poses lower risks. The app offers short activities, like brief videos, which are less likely to cause side effects compared to traditional treatments.

Overall, despite limited specific safety data, the positive user ratings and the app's nature suggest it is a well-tolerated tool for managing anxiety and depression. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Unlike traditional treatments for anxiety and depression, which often involve medication or lengthy therapy sessions, the Mood Triggers App offers a unique approach by delivering ultra-brief interventions via a smartphone. This app provides personalized feedback on what triggers a person's anxiety and depressive symptoms, aiming for symptom reduction through short videos that teach important coping skills. Researchers are excited about this because it makes mental health support more accessible and can potentially offer quick relief, all while fitting into the user's daily routine.

What evidence suggests that the Mood Triggers App is effective for anxiety and depression?

Research shows that mental health apps can slightly but meaningfully reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. In this trial, participants will use the Mood Triggers app, designed to help users recognize and manage factors that worsen these conditions. A study on a similar app found that symptoms of depression and anxiety decreased after six weeks of use. The app offers quick tips and techniques to address these mental health issues. Overall, early evidence suggests that apps like Mood Triggers might improve mental health by focusing on triggers and providing simple, practical strategies. ^{1 2 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Nicholas C Jacobson, PhD

Principal Investigator

Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for middle-aged adults (40-64) who speak English, can consent, and have moderate to severe anxiety or depression but no cancer diagnosis. They must own a smartphone and not have had treatment changes in the last month.

Inclusion Criteria

Fluent in English

Owns a smartphone

I have moderate to severe anxiety or depression.

Exclusion Criteria

History of bipolar disorder (based on the self-reported Mood Disorder Questionnaire [MDQ])

I have not changed my medications or treatments in the last 30 days.

Acute psychosis (based on the self-reported Structured Interview for Psychosis risk Syndromes, Prodromal Questionnaire - Brief version [SIPS PQ-B])

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants use the Mood Triggers app for personalized feedback on anxiety and depression triggers, with ultra-brief interventions delivered via videos

12 weeks

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in depression and anxiety symptoms, as well as cancer risk, using various assessments

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Mood Triggers App

Trial Overview The study tests if using the Mood Triggers App on a smartphone can help reduce anxiety and depression symptoms in individuals at risk of cancer by providing mental health support.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: MoodTriggers App Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Mood Triggers provides personalized feedback on individuals' maintenance factors (i.e., "triggers") of their anxiety and depressive symptoms based on the theory that such feedback will lead to symptom reduction. Mood Triggers delivers ultra-brief interventions (less than 2 minutes long) where participants view videos which introduce an important skill to treat their anxiety and depressive.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Trustees of Dartmouth College

Lead Sponsor

Trials

32

Recruited

14,500+

Norris Cotton Cancer Center

Collaborator

Trials

9

Recruited

1,700+

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11443057/

Evaluating a mobile app's effects on depression and ... This study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a mobile application designed to address these symptoms in individuals ...

2. nicholasjacobson.com nicholasjacobson.com/project/mood-triggers/

Mood Triggers Mood Triggers is a comprehensive Android and iOS-compatible application designed to help users identify and manage triggers of anxiety and depression in ...

3. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10785982/

Current evidence on the efficacy of mental health ... We conclude that apps have overall small but significant effects on symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety.

4. nature.com nature.com/articles/s41746-025-01860-3

Transdiagnostic-focused apps for depression and anxiety This meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of transdiagnostic-focused apps for depression and anxiety, and aimed to understand how they compare to diagnostic- ...

5. mhealth.jmir.org mhealth.jmir.org/2020/7/e15418/

Effectiveness of a Mobile App Intervention for Anxiety and ... We found preliminary evidence that the Feel Stress Free app reduced depression and anxiety symptoms after 6 weeks. At secondary time points, we ...

6. journalbipolardisorders.springeropen.com journalbipolardisorders.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40345-022-00256-6

Evaluating the quality, safety, and functionality of commonly ... A web-based survey was conducted to explore which apps people with BD reported using to support self-management of mood and sleep.

7. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953622001083

Mental health monitoring apps for depression and anxiety ... The mood and anxiety monitoring data generated is affective and valuable: to the user, app, health governance, research, and commercial developers.

8. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9505389/

Potential and Pitfalls of Mobile Mental Health Apps in ... Apps are used to understand one's health, help to keep on progressing with health, to see correlation between causes and effects of one's health problems, to ...