When healthcare meets people: How PDT is reshaping mental health treatment

Prescription digital therapeutics (PDT) are at a critical juncture. Recent studies have validated their potential to improve mental health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs, while increased efforts to increase regulatory transparency and payer interest have opened up reimbursement pathways for widespread adoption.

This inflection point is exacerbated by growing consumer preferences and behaviors for convenience and personalization. PDT, an FDA-regulated software application used to prevent, manage, or treat medical conditions, meets this need. These preferences are not fleeting. Their expectations are now fixed.

With over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry, this momentum is not only real, it's real. This is personal.

For too long, our health care system hasn't really been meeting people's needs. I have dedicated my career to changing that by putting people first. The launch of the first and only FDA-authorized PDT for depressive symptoms is a powerful reminder that when we rethink how care is delivered and how care is experienced, anything is possible.

Particularly in areas such as mental health, digital interventions can radically change traditional treatment pathways and alleviate barriers among individuals who need solutions most.

After a year of real-world deployment, I've gained some key insights to help unlock the viability of PDT, address unmet needs across the healthcare ecosystem (for patients and providers), and take meaningful steps to improve the health experience.

Closing access gaps and delivering care when and where people need it

Across the United States, mental health care systems are stretched thin. 60% of psychologists have no openings for new patients and nearly 40% have waiting lists. When you look across the country, the crisis expands, with more than half of the counties not even having a psychiatrist.

This is a major access issue.

PDT fills a critical gap while people wait for care and, in many cases, provides first-line support when in-person options do not exist. These digital interventions provide an evidence-based approach that delivers the scientific quality and rigor the FDA requires to not only start treatment more immediately, but also do so in the palm of their hand.

Chance? Address public health challenges, meet high needs, and bring immediacy and urgency to mental health care in a broken system.

Offers alternatives for those who don't want to add another medicine

More than 50% of Americans diagnosed with depression or anxiety are afraid to try medication due to concerns about side effects. One of the most persistent challenges providers face in medication management is resolving the tension between efficacy and tolerability. Practitioners find themselves wondering, “How can I balance the best options for everyone with the burden of side effects?”

This directly impacts prescribing behavior, supports patient and provider shared decision-making, and impacts medication adherence.

PDT is a non-drug option that does not add any side effects when traditional medications alone are not enough, eliminating the need to add another medication. Many PDT are complementary therapies, meaning people are already receiving medication. PDT offers people with mental health issues a clinically proven alternative with minimal to no side effects. Additionally, PDT meets people's needs: providing convenience to fit their lifestyles and providing attractive solutions that avoid adding additional medications or side effects to their treatment regimens, especially for the more than half of U.S. adults who are dealing with multiple chronic conditions.

Physicians are interested in new tools and models that can expand the way they manage individual treatment plans. With a greater focus on personalization, PDT can help them better align with someone's values, preferences, and autonomy.

Chance? The solution focuses on user-centered design to better integrate into life while delivering clinical efficacy.

Identify mechanism-based interventions for sustained treatment

Of the thousands of mental health apps out there, only a handful have received FDA authorization. While user experience and accessibility are critical, scientific rigor and trustworthiness are critical to ensuring tools are evidence-based and implemented responsibly.

This is one of the most promising aspects of PDT. They are rooted in clinical data, and many of them are designed to target underlying drivers of chronic disease. I learned that perhaps the most influential PDT in the mental health field directly addresses emotional processing, cognitive control, and executive functioning, which are often disrupted and lead to persistent symptoms.

These digital tools don’t just give people tools to cope; They are designed to enhance the systems that help these tools function. Think of it as physical therapy for the brain. You don’t just reduce symptoms in the short term. Some of these tools may also support long-term functional restoration.

We're hearing first-hand from doctors and patients that these tools may help address the root causes of depression and anxiety, and are designed to help individuals build new cognitive pathways, take charge of their emotions, and get back to achieving their goals.

Chance? A unique treatment mechanism that engages people in their own treatment in a structured, accessible and empowering way.

Growth opportunities

By 2030, PDT represents a $32.5 billion market opportunity. For healthcare leaders like me, this is more than just business; it’s an opportunity. It’s about the potential impact on the millions of people living with mental health issues today. Giving people finally the tools they need to take more control of their care. Giving people access to care that fits their lives.

As regulatory, clinical, payer, provider and patient interests continue to change, now is the time to build on this momentum. PDT brings new possibilities for mental health engagement, experiences, and outcomes.

A future of healthcare that brings empathy and understanding of what people need most, balanced with scientific rigor to ensure health experiences are more personalized and relevant to each person. PDT is a key component in reinventing mental health engagement and meeting people where they are.

Photo: Anastasia Usenko, Getty Images

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