A well-designed 10-minute online exercise can produce small reductions in depression. This is the main finding of my team’s paper, Published in Nature Human Behavior.
many people Start overcoming depressionThey need a therapist, medication or a radical change in their environment. However, our study shows that taking small steps to learn practical skills can lead to measurable improvements in depressive symptoms.
In 2024, my team and I took to social media to pose a question in the field of mental health: If you could give 500 people struggling with depression just 10 minutes of their attention, how would you spend that time? We received 66 responses from people around the world, including scientists, mental health app developers, popular YouTubers and students.
We selected what we considered the 12 most promising submissions to develop and rigorously test in one of the largest randomized controlled trials of mental health interventions. These 12 “single-session interventions” range widely. Some use science-backed methods derived from individual psychotherapy, while others are completely novel. One features a generative artificial intelligence-based expressive writing exercise. Another inspiration repurposed Advertisement of Thai Life Insurance To show how helping others in small ways can make life more meaningful. Each intervention took less than 10 minutes and was completely self-directed.
In the study, we randomly assigned 7,505 American adult participants to complete one of 12 single-session interventions or a control condition in which they Learned about trout. Participants answered questions about their well-being immediately after completing the intervention and again one month later. Each participant completed the intervention (or control) only once.
Almost all intervention users feel hopeful and motivated to make positive changes as they complete them. But a month later, only two- Interactive cognitive reappraisal And Finding focus – Significantly reduces depression. These month-long gains were small on average – about a 4% reduction in a standard depression measure for the top two exercises compared to controls – but small average effects can make a real difference, especially because the free, short nature of these programs gives them the unique ability to reach people worldwide.
Why is it important?
A deep burden for depression 332 million people It affects every year worldwide. Although evidence-based treatment As psychotherapy is effectiveLong-term professional care is not an option For most people due to obstacles Such as lack of access, cost and stigma. Our study is the first to show that a single-session intervention can reduce depression over months in adults.
My team’s goal in studying single-session interventions is simple: If we can distill the key elements of effective psychological treatments into a concise, user-friendly format, more people will be able to access science-backed support when they need it. The goal is not to replace therapists or psychiatrists, but to offer a reliable option for people who would otherwise receive no support. Such single-session interventions can also be used to supplement traditional treatments, such as for people on a waiting list to see a therapist.
what next
After identifying effective single-session interventions for overcoming depression, our top priority is to spread the word that these evidence-based brief mental health resources are available online at no cost. For example, Coco, the team that created the most impactful intervention in our study, created Free Five 10-minute interventions for various mental health challenges. you can too Try all 12 of the single-session interventions we tested. We have published papers More information on the functionality of each.
my team Research continues and studies implementation of single-session interventions in a variety of settings, including social media, schools, and therapy waitlists. Our collaborators are exploring how AI can make single-session interventions more engaging and personalized to users’ needs.
For many people, depression can make gaining control over one’s thoughts and feelings seem out of reach. This research shows that taking just 10 minutes to learn evidence-based skills can be a valuable first step toward long-term improvement.
D Research brief A brief take on interesting academic work.
Benjamin KaveladzePostdoctoral Fellow in Mental Health Resources, Dartmouth College
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