A new avatar-based depression self-management system has been shown to significantly reduce depression symptoms in a small group of young adults that reported these symptoms for more than two consecutive weeks.
Melissa Pinto, PhD, RN, a nursing researcher at Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing along with a team of researchers from Case Western Reserve University and the University of South Florida, conducted a pilot to test a three-dimensional avatar-based program known as the” Electronic Self-Management Resource Training for Mental Health” (eSMART-MH).
This system immerses young adults into a virtual, primary care environment. Through this program, young adults are able to interact with virtual healthcare providers and health coaches to practice effective communication concerning depression and receive feedback.
Participants in the study with prevalent depressive symptoms were randomly assigned to receive either eSMART-MH or receive attention control screen-based education on healthy living. After a three month period, those who received eSMART-MH showed a clinically significant reduction in their depressive symptoms while those assigned to the attention control group showed no change.
“This is an important technology, because many young people are affected by depression early in life, but tend to not receive treatment,” explains Pinto. “Since this generation has grown up using technology, the eSMART-MH technology is very comfortable for them.”
Pinto added, “Just talking about depression with virtual healthcare providers may be enough to lessen the anxiety and stigma associated with seeking treatment. However, we need to conduct larger studies with other young adults to see if eSMART-MH produces the same effect on depression symptoms as it did in this study.”
Pinto presented the results of the research at the Technology Innovations for Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders Conference held this month as part of the Future of Health IT Behavioral Health panel.
The study was funded by the Midwest Nursing Research Society, American Nurses Foundation, and the National Institute of Mental Health at Case Western Reserve University. The development of the original eSMART platform was supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities within NIH.