Sinasprite: A Pilot Feasibility Study of a Casual Game for Primary Care Patients With Mild Stress, Anxiety or Depression

In the U.S. anxiety disorders cost over $55 billion, and major depression is second only to back and neck pain for having the greatest impact on disability days at 386.6 million days/year. Primary care providers (PCPs) are overwhelmingly responsible for screening and treating their patients for behavioral health conditions such as depression and anxiety, and approximately 70-80% of antidepressants are prescribed in primary care. Nearly 17% of the population will experience depression at some point in their lifetime, but of those treated for depression in the primary care setting, only 20-40% show substantial improvement over 12 months. Insurance companies spend $1 trillion annually on behavioral health conditions. $250 billion is spent on our target segment - those with high stress or mild to moderate depression/anxiety, but no serious mental illness requiring intensive or inpatient treatment. These populations have significantly adopted and use mobile technologies for health purposes. Current solutions, like AppsRx, ORCAS, or SuperBetter, are clinically-focused or, at best, use game elements as opposed to a full gaming experience and do not target payers or hospitals. LinkedWellness has a true gaming experience for anxiety/depression, but their target audience is solely focused on teens. None of these incorporate the player's social networks, biosensors, collect information from the phone, or provide predictive insights. Therefore, tools to enhance management of these patients in a primary care setting, such as the casual health-related game Sinasprite, may improve treatment of difficult-to-manage behavioral health conditions. The investigators are proposing a prospective one-arm cohort study testing the feasibility of a game designed to improve symptoms in adults with mild levels of stress, depression, and anxiety. The study will take place at Madigan Army Medical Center. Primary outcomes include usage data including time, frequency and duration of app use, participant satisfaction with the game, and comments and suggestions regarding participants' experiences using the Sinasprite game over a 12-week period. Participants will download Litesprite's game, Sinasprite, onto their personal smartphone. Elements of cognitive-behavioral therapies like cognitive strategies, diaphragmatic breathing, and visualization are embedded in the game enabling players to learn to achieve the desired healthy habits. The game's goal is to help Socks the Fox become a Zen Master. Over six weeks, players help Socks to progress by describing and categorizing their concerns, entrusting Socks to "hold" these concerns, and engaging in bonding activities with Socks, such as fishing and meditation. The investigators currently have a prototype and have been told by insurance firms, providers, and self-funded employers that they need to see validated results from a pilot study that shows feasibility with subjects in the target audience before they can consider a commercial roll out. Participants will complete questions related to mood, stress, and well-being at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks. Data will be evaluated in real-time and reports of participant progress will be provided to the participant's provider, with the participant's consent. Data and feedback from this pilot study will be used to update the design and inform the technical development team to further refine the game experience in preparation for a larger randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of Sinasprite.