Therapy app for depression to be available in Switzerland

This is the first digital therapy app approved to combat depression in Switzerland. Keystone-SDA

Starting July 1, the German digital psychotherapy app Deprexis can be prescribed by a doctor and covered by basic health insurance. While the arrival of this new tool has been met with a generally positive response, questions remain about its actual effectiveness.

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As the first app of its kind authorised by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), Deprexis aims to address a gap in mental health care: according to an assessment by the University of Bern, only half of those with mental health issues seek treatment. And of those, only half manage to find a specialised therapist due to long waiting lists.

According to the FOPH, Deprexis will therefore facilitate access to care for people with depressive disorders, with effects validated by research. “There are many studies that have been conducted in different contexts and different countries showing that this app truly helps reduce depressive symptoms,” confirms Chantal Martin Sölch, professor of psychology at the University of Fribourg.

“Its effect is even better when used alongside psychotherapy, and it also improves the outcomes of psychotherapy,” she explains.

Not a generative AI

For now, the app is intended for adults with mild to moderate depression, as a complement to conventional therapies, while waiting for treatment with a psychotherapist, or between sessions during ongoing treatment.

The program offers advice based on algorithms, but it is not a conversational AI agent that generates content on its own. Patients receive pre-programmed instructions tailored to their symptoms, such as exercises to combat negative thoughts or techniques to reinforce positive emotions. It is also possible to keep a daily mood journal.

A ‘Good Start’

Psychologists have generally welcomed this development. The umbrella organization FSP says that Switzerland has lagged behind in the field of digital therapies.

“Psychological research is constantly developing new digital tools designed to complement traditional psychotherapies. And given the current difficulties in accessing care, Switzerland should commit even more resolutely to this path and encourage innovation,” says its spokesperson. “The market authorisation for Deprexis is a good start, but Switzerland still has room for improvement.”

The FSP notes, however, that such applications must undergo rigorous scientific evaluation, that data security must be guaranteed, and that they are under no circumstances suitable for crisis situations, such as in cases of suicidal thoughts.

Limited use

Furthermore, some practitioners are also more critical, arguing in particular that these tools are of limited use given that the success of depression therapies depends heavily on the connection, the relationship of trust, empathy, and adaptation to patients, which is something an app cannot provide.

“The risk is that the dropout rate will be higher compared to in-person psychotherapy,” says Caterina Ilario, a physician in the Mood and Anxiety Unit at Geneva University Hospitals (HUG). “A depressed patient is often someone with little motivation, who sometimes feels ashamed. So the risk is simply that they’ll close the app and stop using it – which is very easy to do.”

While this “pocket therapist” is still far from replacing a real therapist, the new tool could help fill a gap for all those who cannot or do not dare to see a therapist, or simply cannot find one.

Translated from French by AI/jdp

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