Prescription digital therapeutics: An emerging treatment option for negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

ABSTRACT

Digital therapeutics-web-based programs, smartphone applications, and wearable devices designed to prevent, treat, or manage clinical conditions through software-driven, evidence-based intervention-can provide accessible alternatives and/or may supplement standard care for patients with serious mental illnesses (SMI), including schizophrenia. In this paper we provide a targeted summary of the rapidly growing field of digital therapeutics for schizophrenia and related SMI. We first define digital therapeutics. We then provide a brief summary of the emerging evidence of efficacy of digital therapeutics for improving clinical outcomes, focusing on potential mechanisms of action for addressing some of the most challenging problems, including negative symptoms of psychosis. Our focus on these promising targets for digital therapeutics, including the latest in prescription models in the commercial space, highlights future directions for research and practice in this exciting field.