The Journal of Practical Medicine >
Application， development， and challenges of digital therapeutics in interventions for adolescent social anxiety disorder
Received date: 2025-02-19
Online published: 2025-05-21
The incidence of social anxiety disorder （SAD） among adolescents is increasing annually. However， traditional cognitive behavioral therapy （CBT） struggles to meet practical needs due to high dropout rates and uneven resource distribution. Digital therapeutics （DTx）， leveraging technologies such as mobile internet， virtual reality （VR）， and artificial intelligence （AI）， offers new solutions for adolescent SAD intervention. This article systematically analyzes the application of digital therapeutics in adolescent SAD intervention from three perspectives： theoretical compatibility， technical feasibility， and clinical transformation efficacy. It focuses on the application scenarios and effectiveness of technologies such as virtual reality exposure therapy （VRET）， chatbots， ecological momentary assessment （EMA） with micro-intervention techniques， and gamified digital therapeutics. Research indicates that digital therapeutics show significant short-term effects， particularly in alleviating physiological arousal and improving avoidance behaviors. Nevertheless， challenges remain， including individual differences in efficacy， insufficient cultural adaptability， and limitations in comorbid intervention. Future directions include multimodal neural feedback， AI-based psychological interventions， metaverse therapy， and the integration of digital therapeutics with traditional treatments. This article aims to provide a theoretical foundation for building an intervention ecosystem that integrates "evidence-based practice， technological development， and policy regulation，" promoting the precision and personalization of adolescent SAD interventions.
Zheng ZHANG , Yun MENG , Yuanyuan. WANG . Application， development， and challenges of digital therapeutics in interventions for adolescent social anxiety disorder[J]. The Journal of Practical Medicine, 2025 , 41(10) : 1439 -1444 . DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2025.10.002
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