The IntelliCare Platform

IntelliCare is a suite of apps, developed by Northwestern University's Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies, that work together to help people deal with common causes of stress, depression, and anxiety.

Where to find IntelliCare

The apps are freely available on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The IntelliCare Platform is now being offered through Adaptive Health, a startup out of Northwestern University. You can find more information about IntelliCare on the Adaptive Health website.

If you download the IntelliCare Hub app first, it will help you track your well-being and make recommendations for which apps may be the best fit for you. You can also just download the individual apps, which help you practice skills to improve your mood and well-being.

The Research

IntelliCare has proven effective at reducing depression and anxiety in three trials.

The first trial showed that people using IntelliCare for 8 weeks, supported by brief coaching via text messaging, experienced significant reductions in symptoms of depression and anxiety. These changes matched the amount of improvement that can happen with psychotherapy or medications.

The second trial showed similar benefits for depression and anxiety, and these improvements remained when we followed up after 6 months. Furthermore, we saw that while people did better when they had coaching by text messaging, many people also did well using IntelliCare on their own.

The third trial showed that people under the care of a primary care physician had significantly greater reductions in depression and anxiety when they used IntelliCare for 8 weeks (reference forthcoming).

The IntelliCare Platform is currently being implemented in a system-wide rollout in Rush University Medical Center's Collaborative Care Service as well as at the University of Illinois Chicago and Northern Illinois University.

Northwestern University Depression Research Study

The Artificial Intelligence in a Mobile Intervention for Depression and Anxiety Research Study (AIM) is investigating the use of Internet and mobile phone technologies to teach mood management skills to people with depression and anxiety. Research has already shown that these skills, when delivered by a therapist face-to-face or over the phone, help people with depression to improve their mood. The goal of the AIM study is to develop the same kind of treatment, delivered via the Internet and mobile phone technology.

The possible benefits to you from this study include helping to shape a new intervention for people experiencing depression. Taking part in this study may help scientists to better understand how to treat depression using new technologies.

Anyone who is interested using a mobile applications that contain tools to help people become more aware of their moods and what causes them to change is invited to participate. During the study, participants will test these tools using their own mobile devices, several times per day as they go about their daily activities. While using the mobile app, participants will answer questions about their health and provide suggestions and feedback on how the intervention might be improved.

To participate in the AIM beta testing study, you must:

If you are interested in participating, and would like to begin using the apps, you may download the IntelliCare apps from this site.

When you first launch an IntelliCare app, you will need to complete the informed consent form to join the study. (You may decline to fill out the form and still use the app's full functionality without being a study participant.)

Individuals who consent to participate in the research study will be entered into a lottery to win a $50 Visa gift card.

If you encounter any problems or have any questions about the apps, please e-mail c-karr@northwestern.edu and we will be happy to respond promptly.

For more information, contact a staff member by email at ehealth@northwestern.edu, or the study coordinator by phone at (312) 503-1249.

In the future, if you would like to participate in similar kinds of studies, please consider joining our participant registry.

This study (STU00074405) has been approved by the Northwestern University Institutional Review Board.