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Catch It is a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) based app aimed to help users deal with feelings of anxiety, depression, anger and confusion. The app has three sections. In the first section (“Catch It”), users record their mood, i.e. what mood they have experienced (e.g. anxiety, anger), how strong the mood was (on a scale of 1-5), when the mood occurred and in what setting. Users provide a narrative description of what happened when the mood occurred, and what ‘automatic thoughts’ they had at the time. In the second section (“Check It”), users are encouraged to re-frame the situation in a different way by taking a moment to reflect on their mood entry. In the third section (“Change It”), users describe what a more thoughtful or helpful way to approach the situation would be. They are also asked if the strength of the mood has changed by again rating their mood on a scale of 1-5. When all three sections are completed, the mood is added to the user diary and a short recommendation is provided based on whether or not the user’s mood has changed.
Available for: Requires iOS 9.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch., Requires Android 4.1 or later
Developer: University of Liverpool
Type of Treatment: Cognitive Behavioral Principles, Symptom Tracking/Self-Monitoring
Targeted Conditions: Mood Disorders
Target Audience: Not Specified
Designed to be used in conjunction with a professional? No
Languages Available: English
Cost: Free
Get it on: Apple App Store, Google Play
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has good evidence as a psychological intervention for a wide range of mental health problems. (e.g. Hoffman et al., 2012). While this app has not been investigated in an RCT, data from 285 individuals participating in an online course who downloaded the app and consented for their data to be shared show promising results (Kinderman et al., 2016). There was a significant reduction in severity of negative moods from people’s initial entry to their second entry and information entered into the app was largely consistent with CBT principles as classified by expert independent coders.
• Hofmann, S., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I., Sawyer, A., Fang, A. (2012). The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: a review of meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy Research, 36, 427–40.
• Kinderman, P., Hagan, P., King, S., Bowman, J., Chahal, J., Gan, L., McKnight, R., Waldon, C., Smith, M., Gilbertson, J., & Tai, S. (2016). The feasibility and effectiveness of Catch It, an innovative CBT smartphone app. British Journal of Psychiatry, 2 (3) 204-209.
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