Mobile gaming apps may be the next prescription for reducing stress and anxiety, according to a new research paper from the Assocation for Psychological Science.The paper, titled "Mental Health on the Go: Effects of a Gamified Attention-Bias Modification Mobile Application in Trait-Anxious Adults," which the co-authors say is the first to investigate mobile apps use in psychiatry treatment, suggests that just one single gaming session can reduce acute stress responses when used in attention-bias modification training (ABMT). The study claims anxiety is the most common psychiatric disorder but only about 50 percent of patients seek treatment due to cost, accessibility of treatment and cultural stigma barriers.
Using mobile apps in psychiatric treatment is just one of the latest innovations in mobile healthcare tools. University of Cambridge researchers have developed a new smartphone app that promises to enhance the accuracy of colorimetric tests for diabetes, kidney disease and urinary tract infections. Mobile software is playing a big role in blood testing approach that uses a smartphone screen to analyze results in blood treatment scenarios. A recent poll of 1,500 physicians nationwide reveals 37 percent have prescribed a mobile medical application to patients. Read More
