ABSTRACT

RELEVANCE. Depression remains one of the leading causes of disability on a global scale, with most patients seeking help from internists and general practitioners for the first time. Digital technologies, including mobile applications, artificial intelligence-based chatbots and remote monitoring systems, open up new opportunities for screening and accompanying patients with depressive disorders in primary health care. 

AIM. To analyze data on the effectiveness and limitations of digital tools, chatbots, and remote monitoring systems in the diagnosis and management of depression in primary health care settings.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. The review analyzes scientific research from the databases PubMed, Cochrane Library, eLibrary and Google Scholar for the period 2018–2026, devoted to the use of digital tools in the diagnosis and treatment of depression in general therapeutic practice.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. It has been shown that digital questionnaires, in particular adapted versions of PHQ-9, have good psychometric reliability for remote monitoring. Chatbots based on cognitive behavioral therapy have a therapeutic effect in the short term, although the quality of the evidence base remains poorly understood.

CONCLUSION. Digital technologies of screening, remote monitoring, and automated psychotherapy can enhance the therapist's capabilities in managing patients with depression only if they overcome methodological limitations, integrate with existing work processes, resolve legal issues, and purposefully adapt to the domestic healthcare system.

KEYWORDS: depression, primary health care, digital technologies, chatbot, remote monitoring, artificial intelligence

For citation: Chinarev V.A., Malinina E.V. The Use of Digital Tools, Chatbots and Remote Monitoring in the Diagnosis and Maintenance of Depression in General Therapeutic Practice: A Review. Comorbidity Neurology. 2026; 3 (2): 34–41. https://doi.org/10.62505/3034-185x-2026-3-2-34-41

*For correspondence: Vitaly A. Chinarev, Рsychiatrist, Head of the Clinical Department of the First Psychotic Episode, Regional Clinical Specialized Neuropsychiatric Hospital No. 1; Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychiatry, South Ural State Medical University, Chelyabinsk, Russia, e-mail: va.chinarev@bk.ru.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Vitaly A. Chinarev, Psychiatrist, Head of the Clinical Department of the First Psychotic Episode, Regional Clinical Specialized Neuropsychiatric Hospital No. 1; Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychiatry, South Ural State Medical University, Chelyabinsk, Russia. E-mail: va.chinarev@bk.ru. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3471-5293.

Elena V. Malinina, Dr. Sci. (Med.), Professor, Head of the Department of Psychiatry, South Ural State Medical University, Chelyabinsk, Russia. E-mail: malinina.e@rambler.ru. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5811-4428.

Author contributions. All authors confirm their authorship according to the international criteria of the ICMJE (all authors have made a significant contribution to the preparation of the article, read and approved the final version before publication). Special contribution: Chinarev V.A. – data curation, formal analysis, writing – original draft; Malinina E.V. – supervision, writing – review & editing. 

Funding. This study was not supported by any external sources of funding.

Disclosure. The authors declare the absence of obvious and potential conflicts of interest related to the publication of this article.

The content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

©2026. Vitaly A. Chinarev, Elena V. Malinina