Use of Assistive Technology for Persons with Psychosocial Disability: Systematic Review.

Only five studies were included, and they were too different to combine, so the review can describe what each one reported but cannot say whether any device works. One of the five is about a single patient, which is not evidence that a treatment works. The review deliberately left out apps, phone-based programmes and other tools run by a service, which the authors say are the usual digital option, so it says nothing about those. All five studies came from high-income countries and only English-language studies were included, so nothing here speaks to low- and middle-income settings. Several of the reported benefits, including better recognition of unhelpful thoughts, more confidence in expressing them, and fewer symptoms of guilt and depression, come from the single-patient case report rather than from a group study. The review does not report how many people took part in total across the five studies.

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The supplied text does not say who funded the review.

Do not read this as evidence that these devices work for people with psychosocial disability. The review found only five studies and could not combine them, and some of the reported benefits, including better recognition of unhelpful thoughts, more confidence and fewer symptoms of guilt and depression, come from a single patient's case report.