Limbix has announced a collaboration with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) for a research project to assess SparkRx, an additional therapy for teenagers with depressive symptoms, in settings that provide specialized medical care. For teenagers, ages 13 to 22, SparkRx is a self-directed, digital treatment approach based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). According to Limbix’s press release, SparkRx delivers a compelling, research-based program straight to teenagers’ smartphones. With the use of this online therapy, Limbix claims, teenagers may better understand their depression and develop coping mechanisms to control its symptoms.
Limbix is a virtual reality and digital treatment tool developer. Its team consists of a variety of clinicians, product designers, researchers, and engineers who are primarily focused on providing young people with access to affordable and effective behavioral health care. “At Limbix, we are committed to building digital therapeutics that are easily accessible to patients and give providers a safe and effective treatment option,” said Aarthi Padmanabhan, PhD, chief research officer at Limbix and co-principal investigator of the study. “We are especially excited to partner with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to run this research study in specialty care settings to better understand the mental health needs of this patient population.”
Limbix and CHLA intend to work together to make the SparkRx therapy available to adolescents who are struggling with mental health issues. Patients will use the app to participate in exercises that will let them analyze the relationship between behavior and mood and find activities that can help them fight depression. Adolescents who are receiving treatment at CHLA’s Cardiology and Gastroenterology departments for heightened depressive symptoms are the target population for Limbix and CHLA’s feasibility and efficacy tests of SparkRx. A teen’s chance of developing depression is frequently increased if they have a persistent medical condition, such as gastrointestinal or cardiovascular illness. Finding mental health treatment can be challenging, and untreated depressive symptoms can make other medical disorders worse. To learn about the connection between mood and behavior, recognize activities that could improve their wellbeing, and feel accomplished, eligible research participants conduct interactive tasks within the digital therapy intervention. The study’s objectives include learning whether these adolescents perceive SparkRx to be a practical treatment choice, determining whether it helps alleviate the symptoms of depression in adolescents with long-term medical issues, and gathering participant feedback on SparkRx utilization.
“We’re excited about this opportunity to offer our patients a new resource for adolescent depression via a digital therapeutic that could help minimize barriers and increase access to mental health treatment,” said Heather Bemis, Principal Investigator of the study.