"Soon you can seek mental health advice on your smartphone as quickly as finding a good restaurant.  A novel suite of  speedy miniapps called IntelliCare resulted in participants reporting significantly less depression and anxiety by using the apps on their smartphones up to four times a day reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.  The apps offer exercises to destress reduce selfcriticism and worrying methods to help your life feel more meaningful mantras to highlight your strengths strategies for a good nights sleep and more. Most apps designed for mental health typically offer a single strategy to feel better or provide too many features that make them difficult to navigate. Users may get bored or overwhelmed and may stop using the apps after a few weeks.  But participants robustly used the IntelliCare interactive apps as many as four times daily  or an average of  times  for eight weeks of the study. They spent an average of one minute using each app with longer times for apps with relaxation videos.  The  participants who completed the research study reported that they experienced about a  percent decrease in the severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms. The shortterm studyrelated reductions are comparable to results expected in clinical practice using psychotherapy or with that seen using antidepressant medication.  The study will be published Jan.  in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.  We designed these apps so they fit easily into peoples lives and could be used as simply as apps to find a restaurant or directions said lead study author David Mohr professor of preventive medicine and director of the Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.  Some of the participants kept using them after the study because they felt that the apps helped them feel better Mohr said. There were many apps to try during the study so there was a sense of novelty. Participants had access to the  IntelliCare apps from Google Play and received eight weeks of coaching for the use of IntelliCare. Coaching included an initial phone call plus two or more text messages per week over the eight weeks. In the study  participants were enrolled and  of them completed the study.  The preliminary study did not include a control arm so its possible that some people who enrolled in the trial would have improved anyway partly because they may have been motivated to try something new Mohr said. He now has launched a larger trial recruiting  participants with a control arm.  Some of the IntelliCare apps include   Daily Feats designed to motivate you to add worthwhile and rewarding activities into your day to increase your overall satisfaction in life.  Purple Chill designed to help you unwind with audio recordings that guide you through exercises to destress and worry less.  Slumber Time designed to ease you into a good nights rest.   My Mantra designed to help you create motivating mantras to highlight your strengths and values.  Using digital tools for mental health is emerging as an important part of our future Mohr said. These are designed to help the millions of people who want support but cant get to a therapists office. More than  percent of Americans have significant symptoms of depression or anxiety each year but only around  percent of people with a mental health problem get adequate treatment. The IntelliCare algorithm recommends new apps each week to keep the experience fresh provide new opportunities for learning skills and avoid user boredom. Although the apps are not validated each one was designed by Northwestern clinicians and based on validated techniques used by therapists. IntelliCare is a national research study. Individuals can download the apps free with no financial obligation. But Northwestern researchers hope participants will provide confidential feedback via four weekly questions that will be used to further develop the system. The data will help the system make even better recommendations and provide more personalized treatment. People also may enroll in a study in which they will be paid to provide even more feedback. Some also will have access to an IntelliCare coach via text messaging and phone calls who are available to support them in using the apps.  We now have evidence these approaches will likely work Mohr said. They are designed to teach many of the same skills therapists teach patients. Different apps are expected to work for different people. The goal is to find whats right for you.   Other Northwestern authors include Kate Tomasino Emily Lattie Hannah Palac Mary J Kwasny Kenneth Weingardt Leland R Bardsley Lauren Caccamo Colleen StilesShields and Stephen Schueller. Rebecca Rossom a researcher with HealthPartners Institute also was a study coauthor.  The study was supported by grant R MH from the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health."