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Second Thoughts On Fda's Covid-Era Mental Health App Policy, Michael Mattioli
Second Thoughts On Fda's Covid-Era Mental Health App Policy, Michael Mattioli
Articles by Maurer Faculty
As the coronavirus pandemic swept across the globe in April 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made an unusual decision. The agency announced that it would relax its enforcement of compliance rules for “digital therapeutics”—smartphone apps designed to address mental health disorders. The measure was a response to widely reported upticks in symptoms of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse brought on by the pandemic. As an added benefit, the agency explained, digital therapeutics could promote social distancing by removing patients’ need to visit health care providers.
This essay explores the possible lasting effects of the FDA’s temporary suspension …