A pilot tested whether automated mental health app support was workable
An exploratory trial compared mindfulness with mentalization support delivered by phone, focusing on feasibility and acceptability rather than establishing symptom benefit against no intervention.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Both automated app approaches appeared feasible and acceptable in this pilot, with participants generally staying engaged. Depression and anxiety scores improved within each group, but the study found no significant difference between approaches. Because it compared active interventions without an inactive control, those improvements alone cannot establish that either app caused symptom relief.
This exploratory pilot used university recruitment and lacked an inactive control. This abstract-based account also cannot assess the nature or severity of the reported harm, which is not described.
What researchers found
Depression and anxiety score changes
Mindfulness versus mentalization after 4 weeks; both groups showed within-group improvements.
The main question was feasibility
Participants received brief, automated support through their phones during everyday life. The trial mainly asked whether recruitment, retention, app use and user satisfaction were workable; symptom questionnaires provided additional, exploratory information.
Acceptability and safety both matter
Users gave favorable ratings for engagement, enjoyment and recommending the app. The abstract also reports an unintended harm with mindfulness and none with mentalization, underscoring the need to examine safety alongside acceptability in further evaluation.
The original publication
Smartphone-Based Mindfulness and Mentalization Ecological Momentary Interventions for Common Mental Health Problems: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
O'Driscoll C, O'Reilly S, Jaremba AJ et al.
JMIR Ment Health · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41027022
- Record checked
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