Enhancing the effectiveness of CBT for patients with unipolar depression by integrating digital interventions into treatment: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

Blended cognitive behavioral therapy (bCBT) combines face-to-face therapy with digital elements, such as digital health apps. This pilot study aimed to explore the effectiveness and safety of a novel bCBT application for treating unipolar depression in adults combined with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) compared to CBT alone in routine care. Patients ( Improvements in depressive symptoms (BDI-II, PHQ-9) were descriptively larger for the bCBT group. Yet, this difference did not reach statistical significance. bCBT was superior to standard CBT in secondary outcome measures of psychological health ( This pilot study provided preliminary evidence that bCBT might be advantageous in comparison to CBT alone in the treatment of depression, but larger RCTs of the bCBT application are needed.