Evidence

We read the evidence. We do not turn it into a promise.

Anto is shaped by clinical and digital mental-health literature — not by trials of Anto itself, and not as a substitute for human therapy.

Evidence guides the design. It does not turn an app into a diagnosis, a cure, or a replacement for a clinician.

How we read

The field is expanding: conversational support, CBT-informed techniques, validated screens, risk pathways. The literature shows promise and limits. We design toward the former and name the latter.

This page does not claim Anto-specific randomised trials. It shows the category evidence that shapes protocols, psychoeducation, and product choices — with sources you can open.

Night desk by a rainy window — open notebook and warm lamp, a quiet place to read what informs the product
Evidence is read at a desk, not announced as a cure — ordinary hours, real constraints.

What we take

Four ideas that actually move the product — not a paper dump.

  • CBT as a clinical frame

    Meta-analyses support CBT for adult anxiety versus placebo (Hofmann & Smits, 2008). Anto’s paths borrow that model: thoughts, emotions, behaviours — without calling the chat therapy.

  • Digital effects are usually modest

    Smartphone meta-analyses report symptom reductions versus controls, often larger against inactive ones (Firth et al., 2017a, 2017b). Real, small-to-moderate — not remission as a promise.

  • Agents as a category, with gaps

    RCTs such as Woebot (Fitzpatrick et al., 2017) and chatbot reviews (Vaidyam et al., 2019) suggest help between sessions for some people — and underline ethics, safety, and evidence gaps.

  • Screening, not diagnosis

    GAD-7 (Spitzer et al., 2006) tracks trends in primary care. In Anto it supports observation over time — never a clinical label on its own.

How it shows up in Anto

Editorial vignettes — the tone of the product, not App Store screenshots as proof.

  • Conversation with structure

    When someone names anxiety, Anto can stay with the moment and offer a concrete next step — closer to a conversational agent with CBT components than to open-ended chat.

    • I am at an 8. Chest tight. Mind will not slow down.

    • That intensity is real. Before we analyse it — one small step: name one thing you can feel under your feet.

    • The floor. Cold.

    • Stay with that for two breaths. Then we can look at what the mind is spinning — without forcing it to stop.

  • Trends, not labels

    Brief check-ins borrow the idea of validated screens: patterns over weeks, not a diagnosis stamped on a score.

    Anxietybrief check-in
    This week

    8

    Lately

    A little lighter than a month ago

    1. 14W1
    2. 12W2
    3. 10W3
    4. 8W4
    What stood out

    Quieter nights followed days with one clear next step

    Example only. Informed by brief screens such as GAD-7 — trends, not a clinical label.

  • A closing that names the pattern

    Session closings surface thought–emotion–behaviour links — the CBT triangle — without claiming a treatment course.

    Work anxiety before a presentation — the mind jumped to the worst ending.

    Pattern
    Thought → body alarm → urge to avoid preparing
    What helped
    One concrete step (open the first slide) instead of solving the whole fear

What we do not claim

Anto does not diagnose, prescribe, or replace emergency care. Digital risk signals can surface resources; they do not replace a crisis line or local emergency services.

Category evidence is not an Anto efficacy trial. When Anto-specific research exists, it will be listed here with the same bibliographic standard.

If you research digital mental health and want to discuss methods, limits, or collaboration — write to us.

Contactmarcelo.ull@antoapps.com

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