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    Guided self-help digital cognitive behavioural therapy for children and young people with mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety or low mood

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    1 Recommendations

    1.1 Five guided self-help digital cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) technologies:

    • Lumi Nova (BfB labs)

    • Online Social anxiety Cognitive therapy for Adolescents (OSCA)

    • Online Support and Intervention for child anxiety (OSI)

    • Space from anxiety for teens, space from low mood for teens, space from low mood and anxiety for teens (Silvercloud)

    • ThinkNinja CBT Bytesize (Healios)

    are conditionally recommended as a first-line treatment option (or alongside other treatments) for children (aged up to 12) and young people (aged 12 to 17) with mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety or low mood, while further evidence is generated.

    1.2 Key outcomes captured while further evidence is generated should include:

    • symptom severity

    • impairment measures

    • health-related quality of life

    • level of engagement including attrition

    • reasons and rates of drop out.

    Find out more in the evidence generation section in this guidance.

    Why the committee made these recommendations

    Guided self-help digital CBT technologies provide a different way to help children and young people manage their symptoms of anxiety or low mood and could allow earlier access to mental health treatment. Children and young people will be able to work through self-help materials on their own but will be guided by support from a mental health professional. Offering guided self-help digital CBT technologies could help engagement with treatment and result in better patient outcomes. Many children and young people are not able to access treatment for mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety or low mood, or could be on a waiting list. There is a high unmet need for earlier access and alternative approaches to treatments in mental health.

    There is some evidence to suggest that guided self-help digital CBT technologies may improve symptoms of anxiety but more evidence is needed to be confident that the benefits will be realised from using these technologies.

    These 5 technologies can be used as a first-line treatment if used with appropriate safeguarding and risk management processes in place. Once further evidence is generated, this guidance will be reviewed to make a decision on the routine adoption of these technologies.