Therapeutic app can alleviate anxiety in young adults

Not a substitute for actual psychotherapy, researchers say, but a newly designed app could help young adults with mental health issues reduce their anxiety.

The app, called Maya, “can be an accessible and impactful tool for people looking for support with anxiety. It’s incredible to see our ideas come to life,” said study co-first author and app designer Dr. Avital Falk, an associate professor of psychology in clinical psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, in New York City.

The Weill Cornell team began developing the new app in 2019, in collaboration with members of Weill Cornell Information Technologies & Services.

Maya relies on a proven form of psychotherapy called cognitive behavioral therapy, which gives people new coping skills and changes in thinking to help them better deal with everyday mental challenges.

Maya helps teach these types of coping strategies and is aimed at young adults (18 to 25). This is an age that is often associated with stress as people make the transition from the parental home to university and work.

Using various videos, exercises and educational content, the app provides stressed users with the necessary guidance when they cannot reach a doctor for help.

In a trial of 59 young adults, most seemed drawn to using the Maya app for at least 11 of the 12 weeks of the study. They did not delete the app from their phones, as can often happen when people try new apps.

The new findings were published August 20 in the diary JAMA Network Opened.

According to the researchers, people seemed to benefit from the app because they experienced less anxiety.

“We hear a lot about the negative impact of technology use on mental health in this age group,” Dr. Faith Gunning, senior author of the study, said in a Weill press release. But there may be an upside to smartphone dependence, too.

Digital technology “may provide a way to address anxiety for some people who, even if they have access to mental health services, may not go,” said Gunning, who is vice chair for research in psychiatry at Weill Cornell. “If the app helps reduce symptoms, then maybe they can take the next step and see a mental health professional when they need to.”

“Our initial results suggest that the app could be an effective tool to bridge the waiting time for people who have to wait for an appointment with a therapist,” she added.

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