Alexandra Carmichael

April 30, 2010

Can your cell phone replace your therapist, or make cognitive behavior therapy more accessible to a wider audience? Margaret Morris of the Digital Health Group at Intel sent in an article that addresses this question, published today in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Mobile Therapy: Case Study Evaluations of a Cell Phone Application for
Emotional Self-Awareness

From the abstract:

One example is a participant who had been coping
with longstanding marital conflict. After reflecting on his mood data,
particularly a drop in energy each evening, the participant began
practicing relaxation therapies on the phone before entering his house,
applying cognitive reappraisal techniques to cope with stressful family
interactions, and talking more openly with his wife. His mean anger,
anxiety and sadness ratings all were lower in the second half of the
field study than in the first.

Therapy? There’s an app for that.