Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Provided Through a Web Application for Subthreshold Depression, Subthreshold Insomnia, and Subthreshold Panic: Open-Labeled 6-Arm Randomized Clinical Trial Pilot Study

Effectiveness of Online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Mild Depression, Insomnia, and Panic: A Clinical Trial Study

Background

Many people experience symptoms of depression, insomnia, or panic that are not severe enough to be diagnosed as a mental health disorder. However, these symptoms can still make daily life challenging and lower quality of life. There is a lack of specific treatments for these mild symptoms, despite their importance in preventing more serious mental health issues.

Objective

This study aimed to test how effective an online cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) program is for individuals with mild depression, insomnia, and panic. It also sought to determine the minimum change needed to consider the treatment effective.

Methods

Participants aged 18-70 were grouped based on their symptoms and randomly assigned to either the treatment group or a control group. The treatment group used a 4-week ICBT program called “Mentre,” while the control group used a fake app. The effectiveness was measured using specific scales for each condition, and changes were analyzed after 4 weeks.

Results

The study involved 846 participants with mild depression, 597 with mild panic, and 1106 with mild insomnia. The results showed:

  • For mild depression, the treatment group had a significant improvement in their scores compared to the control group.
  • For mild insomnia, the treatment group also showed significant improvement.
  • For mild panic, there was no significant difference between the groups.

Conclusions

The ICBT program “Mentre” effectively improved symptoms of mild depression and insomnia, suggesting it can help prevent these issues from becoming more serious. However, more research is needed to better define and treat mild panic symptoms.

Trial Registration

This trial is registered at the University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN) under the ID UMIN000051280.

Clinical Implications

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