This article marks a key milestone in the SyMptOMS-related projects. It presents the SyMptOMS-ET application, an mHealth tool designed to guide patients with anxiety disorders through in vivo exposure therapy. The main motivation behind this application is to make exposure therapy more accessible and convenient for people with anxiety disorders.

This open source mobile app is part of Alberto’s doctoral thesis. Yet, it is more than a software development, because it adapt a phycological framework like Exposure Therapy into a geolocation-aware, mobile-based software component that monitors and guides patients throughout in vivo exposure process to complement traditional therapy sessions. Therefore, the SyMptOMS-ET app systematically monitors a patient (momentary ecological assessment) and guides them through the entire exposure process (momentary ecological intervention), fully respecting the theoretical foundations of Exposure Therapy and adapting its principles to the needs of the smartphone-based monitoring and delivery tools.

Technically, the app uses the patient’s phone location to determine their proximity to exposure areas and provides periodic instructions and assessments through notifications. It also offers psychoeducational content, coping strategies, and a panic button to communicate with the therapist.  Next illustration summarises the main features of the SyMptOMS-ET app.

The article also includes a validation process, in which a group of psychology experts tested the app in the field and validated the adaptation of the therapy to a smartphone-based digital medium. The experts showed high satisfaction with the app and highlighted that its functionality and content are well aligned with the principles of Exposure Therapy theory.