Can a mobile app help people manage the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder? As some local readers may have heard on KCBS today (or may remember from a previous Scope entry), this is a question that a group of researchers here are studying.
I explain more about the app in a recent release:
The study involves the use of a Veterans Affairs-developed app designed to provide immediate help for patients’ symptoms. The app contains four sections: “learn,” which provides basic information about PTSD; “find support,” which helps users find professional care; “self-assessment,” which allows users to fill out a survey that measures PTSD symptoms; and “manage symptoms,” which provides tools to address acute symptoms such as insomnia and anger.
The VA-funded trial follows earlier research showing that the decrease in PTSD symptoms for those study participants who used the app for one month was significant when compared to participants in the control group who didn't use the app. For this study, participants will use the app for three months and fill out online surveys at the start of the study and at the three-month follow-up.
The researchers are looking for 30 participants experiencing symptoms of PTSD; they must not be currently receiving care for the disorder and they must have either an iPhone or Android smartphone on which they can download the app being tested. Those interested in participating or learning more should contact study coordinator Nitya Kanuri at nkanuri@stanford.edu.
Previously: The remarkable impact of yoga breathing for trauma, Relieving stress, anxiety and PTSD with emerging technologies, Using a mobile-based app to help manage PTSD and Stanford and other medical schools to increase training and research for PTSD, combat injuries
