What to Know About the Rejoyn App for Depression

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Digital health is a growing area of healthcare. This broad field aims to find ways to improve people's well-being with technology. But digital therapeutics take it a step further. In digital therapeutics, there is clinical evidence that a technology can help treat or manage a health condition. And there's been a lot of interest in developing digital therapeutics for mental health conditions, such as depression.

In April 2024, the FDA cleared a prescription digital therapeutic called Rejoyn to reduce symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD, or "depression"). Rejoyn is an app for a smartphone or mobile device. It's compatible with both Apple and Android devices.

But how can an app help with depression? And how long might it take the Rejoyn app to work for you?

What is the Rejoyn app?

The Rejoyn app is a prescription-only digital therapeutic treatment for depression symptoms. It's not intended for long-term use. If it's prescribed for you, use the Rejoyn app regularly for 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, you'll continue to have access to the app for an additional 4 weeks to review content, if desired. After that point, your access to the Rejoyn app will end.

What is the FDA-cleared use of the Rejoyn app?

The Rejoyn app is FDA-cleared to reduce depression symptoms in adults ages 22 and older. This digital therapeutic is cleared as an "add-on" treatment. You shouldn't use the Rejoyn app by itself for depression. It should be combined with antidepressants.

Can other depression treatments be combined with the Rejoyn app?

Yes. As mentioned above, the Rejoyn app should only be prescribed to adults who are currently taking antidepressants. It can also be combined with various forms of therapy.

Examples of antidepressants you can combine with the Rejoyn app include:

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluoxetine (Prozac) or sertraline (Zoloft)

• Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), such as duloxetine (Cymbalta) or venlafaxine (Effexor XR)

• Atypical antidepressants, such as bupropion (Wellbutrin XL) or Auvelity (dextromethorphan / bupropion)

• Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), such as amitriptyline or nortriptyline (Pamelor)

• Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), such as selegiline (Emsam patches)

How does the Rejoyn app work?

The Rejoyn app works by providing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) lessons, along with Emotional Faces Memory Task (EFMT) exercises. These are thought to target parts of the brain that are involved in emotional processing. Over the 6 weeks you use the Rejoyn app, these lessons and exercises may help strengthen and balance certain brain connections. And this can potentially help reduce your depression symptoms.

Lessons generally take about 3 to 4 minutes to complete. And exercises may take between 10 and 25 minutes to finish. But some people may take more or less time.

It's recommended to use the Rejoyn app 6 days per week for 6 weeks. But if this doesn't work with your lifestyle, there's an alternative schedule you can follow where you'll typically complete activities 3 to 4 days per week most weeks. After using the Rejoyn app for 6 weeks, you can continue to review any of the lessons or exercises you completed for an additional 4 weeks.

When may you start to see results from the Rejoyn app?

In the clinical trial that earned the Rejoyn app FDA clearance, people using it noted reduced depression symptoms 2 weeks after starting. Continued benefits were seen throughout all 6 weeks that participants used the Rejoyn app. What's more, people experienced additional reduction of depression symptoms during the final 4 weeks, where they had access to the app but weren't required to use it.

What are the best alternatives to using Rejoyn for depression?

The Rejoyn app is currently the only FDA-cleared digital therapeutic for depression. There isn't an alternative that offers similar features.

A possible alternative you and your mental healthcare team may discuss is deprexis. Deprexis is an online, 12-week CBT program. It uses artificial intelligence to customize a CBT program based on your responses to questions during treatment.

There are also other therapy options your healthcare team may suggest instead of or in addition to your current treatments, such as:

• Interpersonal therapy

• Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy

• Psychodynamic therapy

• Supportive therapy

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