Therapist-Supported Digital Mental Health Intervention for Depressive Symptoms: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Depression is a chronic and debilitating mental disorder. Despite the existence of several evidence-based treatments, many individuals suffering from depression face myriad structural barriers to accessing timely care which may be alleviated by digital mental health interventions (DMHI). Accordingly, this randomized clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04738084) investigated the efficacy of a therapist-supported DMHI, the Meru Health Program, among people with elevated depression symptoms (N=100, mean age 37). Recruited participants were randomized to a therapist-supported DMHI (n=54) or a waitlist control (n=46) condition for 12 weeks. The DMHI group had greater decreases in depression symptoms compared to the waitlist control (d=-0.8). A larger proportion of participants in the DMHI reported a minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in depression symptoms than waitlist control participants (39.1% vs. 9.8%, Chi-square (1)=9.90, p=.002). Similar effects were demonstrated for anxiety symptoms, quality of life, insomnia, and resilience. The results confirm the utility of therapist-supported DMHIs in reducing depression symptoms and associated health burdens.