PORTSMOUTH – There’s an app for that.

A common phrase and now in the works is a web-based application that can act as a sort of “sponsor” for people who are addicts.

Leading this initiative is Dr. Lisa Marsch, director of the Dartmouth Center for Technology and Behavioral Health (www.c4bh.org), director of the Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center, and the Andrew G. Wallace professor within the department of psychiatry at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. She leads a national Science of Behavioral Change initiative supported by the National Institute of Health, in partnerships with Dartmouth, Stanford, Arizona State University, Drexel and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

A multimedia game designed by the same group already exists to help elementary school aged children make better choices about drugs and other addictive substances.

“What we are doing is using science to develop and evaluate the use of various technology tools to directly affect behavioral health,” Marsch said. “We are talking about the web, mobile technology and others. Ninety-eight percent of the world, even in Third World countries, are using the web, have access to mobile devices. We want to know how we can harness the devices in people’s pockets to make a difference. So we develop and test self-directed motivations.”

The reason this is exciting is that the data members of the center's group have discovered indicate the tools they are creating can reach a huge percentage of the population, and can effect change in both the addictive behaviors of people and as a prevention tool for children, potentially saving generations from the pain of addiction.

“We are using a science-based platform of interactive technologies,” Marsch said. “It is potentially a cost-effective way to reach and treat addictive behavior, to change behavioral health in a positive way.”

The prevention tools for kids (http://preventionsciencemedia.com/) use multimedia games to send messages about drugs, but also about coping with stress and finding ways to make better decisions.

Interested parents and educators can click on the link to sign up for free and enter the multimedia game. This program is available now.

“The games build protective factors,” Marsch said. “It helps teach life skills that will prevent drugs/addiction being the choice as a coping mechanism. The messages are embedded in the multimedia game, which is an animated world. For example, there is a scavenger hunt. As you collect the objects, we are teaching. And, there are quizzes throughout the game.”

Marsch said a controlled test of the game has been conducted in some New York elementary schools.

“Some schools got the game and the teachers got extensive training,” Marsch said. “Other schools did not and had no prevention training. What we found was that this program was as effective as a scientific clinical intervention. We are very pleased with the results.”

The science-based behavior changes mobile platform, which includes a highly effective set of resources for addiction, is accessible at: https://www.square2.co/. It is still in beta testing, but will be available for use in the near future.

“This is for everyone who needs it, but our target is those who may fall outside of the health care system,” Marsch said. “People who suffer chronic pain, veterans, people who are incarcerated, or who do not have regular medical access can use this and we believe it will help in many cases. There is an explosion of medical-based apps now and this is another tool that is a logical extension of what is already available.”

In a way, the adult/addiction program is like the multimedia game designed for kids. It also teaches life skills and new coping mechanisms.

“It deals with life structuring,” Marsch said. “New patterns of behavior can be acquired, ones that do not involve drugs. The program is intentionally flexible and can be used by one person (self-taught), or in conjunction with a clinician.”

Marsch said the program is not intended to replace addiction treatment. Instead, it is supplemental.

“It is available when people are on a long wait list,” Marsch said. “It is there at 3 a.m., when your resolve is at its lowest and you are not going to reach your doctor.”

Several clinical trials have been completed. Marsch said one result was that patients had a greater rate of retention when it came to treatment. The results of the program were compared to standard clinical results.

“Why does it work?” Marsch asked. “It works because it is so personalized and interactive. The technology is responsive to where a person is at a given time in their treatment. Treatment, even with the use of suboxone, is conceptual to the patient. Thoughts are abstract and this technology works with each individual. Access is on demand and they are more likely to be honest because they are reporting to themselves.”