Around one in four people in the world are affected by mental illness or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. According to the World Health Organization, 450 million people currently suffer from these disorders. While it is always recommended to consult a doctor or psychologist when dealing with mental health, it is not always obtainable. Some people might not have access to these resources. This is why many people have turned to mental health apps for support. These apps are not meant to be a substitute for mental care, but they are a good strategy for individuals looking to manage their health, moods, and habits. In a 2017 study done by JMIR Mental Health, it was found that 90% of people using such apps reported improvements in their motivation, confidence, and attitudes towards both mental and emotional health. One of these apps is called What’s Up?. What’s Up? provides users with methods to help with anxiety, stress, depression, and more. The creator’s primary goal is to help users maintain good habits through the app’s various activities. One of these activities is a positive and negative mood tracker, which allows users to record their emotions throughout the day. “Get Grounded” is a portion of the app that has over 100 questions that help pinpoint feelings that might be hard to describe and manage. “Thinking Patterns” is another feature in the app that utilizes important resources to stop harmful and negative thoughts. What’s Up? is free and available with iOS and Android. Another app focused around mood improvement is MoodKit. This app uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to create over 200 mood-improvement activities. Developed by two clinical psychologists, MoodKit a ims to create healthy attitudes and habits. The journal feature allows users to track and reflect on their thoughts throughout their time on the app. This feature also rates and charts your moods to monitor progress. MoodKit is $4.99 and is only available with iOS. Specifically designed for teens and young adults with anxiety, MindShift CBT focuses on helping users reduce worry, panic, and stress by using CBT resources. These tools help users learn how to manage challenging situations and intense emotions. The app teaches about anxiety, cognitive behavioral therapy, and how to reduce worry, panic, social anxiety, and discomfort from phobias user’s might experience. MindShift CBT is free and available with iOs and Android.
Another app, GG OCD, focuses completely on discarding unsupportive thoughts in users. The app aims to improve OCD symptoms by raising awareness of negative thoughts and training the brain to overcome them. GG OCD has topics and themes that are broken down into 40 levels. Each level has a general focus that helps build self-esteem, bring change, correct negative thinking, fix self criticism, social fears, and emotions. Many therapists encourage their patients to use this app, as it helps build and maintain healthy thinking habits. GG OCD i s free with in-app purchases and is available with iOS and Android.
By using science-based activities, Happify helps users overcome anxiety and negative thoughts. This app is a psychologist-approved mood-tracking program that utilizes positive psychology, mindfulness, and cognitive therapy. Features such as engaging games, activity suggestions, and gratitude prompts train the brain to relax and reduce negative thoughts and feelings. Of the people who use Happify regularly, over 86% reported feeling better in two months. Happify i s free with some in-app purchases. It is available with both iOS and Android devices.
While these apps are not a substitute for face-to-face mental care, they do aid in the management of mood, stress, and overall mental health. The majority of mental health apps are free and very easy to use, making them very accessible resources to individuals who might need them quickly.
Links to mentioned apps: What’s Up? : https://apps.apple.com/us/app/whats-up-a-mental-health-app/id968251160 MoodKit:h ttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/moodkit/id427064987 MindShift CBT: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mindshift-cbt-anxiety-relief/id634684825 GG OCD: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gg-ocd-anxiety-depression/id1140486359 Happify:h ttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/happify-for-stress-worry/id730601963