Mobile App Use by Primary Care Patients to Manage Their Depressive Symptoms: Qualitative Study.

Background: Mobile apps are emerging as tools with the potential to revolutionize the treatment of mental health conditions such as depression. At the forefront of the community health sector, general practitioners are in a unique position to guide the integration of technology and depression management; however, little is currently known about how primary care patients with depressive symptoms are currently using apps.

Objective: The objective of our study was to explore the natural patterns of mobile app use among patients with depressive symptoms to facilitate the understanding of the potential role for mobile apps in managing depressive symptoms in the community.