<blockquote> <h3>Fast Facts</h3> <ul> <li>According to the CDC, approximately 44.7 million American adults (about 19%) suffer from mental health issues. Mental disorders are among the leading causes of ill health and disability. </li> <li>Mental health wellness apps can be installed on your smartphone, tablet, or computer and are designed to help you improve your emotional wellbeing, become more mindful, provide self-help resources (e.g., guided breathing exercises, meditation, cognitive-behavioral therapy), and address common mental health issues like stress, depression, anxiety, and addiction. </li> <li>There are approximately 10,000 to 20,000 mental health and wellness apps available in the App Store, according to the <em>American Psychological Association</em>. </li> </ul> </blockquote> <p>For a start, there’s work stress, school stress, family stress, and relationship stress. And if all that weren’t enough, throw in the stress of the pandemic for good measure. All these stresses led to the inevitable rise of mental wellness apps – all offering to provide reprieve from the crushing anxiety of all of life’s stresses.</p> <p>There seems to be an app for everything these days – groceries, fitness, banking, dating, entertainment – so why not for mental health too? But the question is: are mental wellness apps the solution to all your mental health problems, or just another tech fad? Can these apps replace traditional mental health care and treatments? Are they as good as a therapist? Let’s dig a little deeper into whether these mental wellness apps are as effective at treating mental health issues as they claim.</p> <figure><img alt="Stress Harms the Brain & Nerves | Source: TheVisualMD" class="img-fluid mx-auto d-block" src="https://cdn.storymd.com/optimized/LoOPBYFrdP/thumbnail.jpg" /> <figcaption>Stress Harms the Brain & Nerves. <em>Source: TheVisualMD</em></figcaption> </figure> <h2>The mental health crisis</h2> <p>More and more people in the United States are living with mental and emotional distress than ever before. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 44.7 million adults (18 years or older) – that’s about 19% of American adults – suffer from some form of mental illness. Mental disorders are among the leading causes of ill health and disability.</p> <figure><img alt="Heart Disease and Mental Health Disorders | Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)" class="img-responsive" src="https://cdn.storymd.com/optimized/JA0kLZfOq9/thumbnail.jpg" /> <figcaption>Heart Disease and Mental Health Disorders. <em>Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>As for America’s children, at least 1 in 5 youth aged 9 to 17 years currently has a diagnosable mental health disorder that causes some degree of impairment, and 1 in 10 has a disorder that causes significant impairment. The most common mental illnesses in adolescents are anxiety, mood, attention, and behavior disorders, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). And the scary part is that data collected by Mental Health America (MHA) shows that mental illnesses are on the rise, mostly in American youngsters. </p> <p>America’s mental health crisis is compounded by the fact that many of those who suffer from mental health problems lack health insurance or access to a mental healthcare provider. And that’s where the usefulness of a mobile app comes in, so it’s no surprise that the number of mental wellness apps seem to be increasing exponentially. </p> <h2>Stressed and depressed? There’s a mental wellness app for that</h2> <p>With anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions on the rise coinciding with Americans’ perpetual use – or addiction to – any form of electronic device (e.g., tablets, smartphones, computers), it’s only natural to turn to screens for mental health help. </p> <p>Enter mental wellness apps such as Calm, BetterHelp, Headspace, Fabulous, Rootd, Liberate, talkspace, MoodKit, I am Sober, Happify, and Worry Watch, just to name a few. </p> <p>Mental wellness apps are mobile applications that you can install on your smartphone, tablet, or computer and are designed to help you improve your emotional wellbeing, become more mindful, provide self-help resources (e.g., guided breathing exercises, meditation, cognitive-behavioral therapy), or address common mental health issues like stress, depression, anxiety, and addiction. </p> <figure><img alt="Smartphone | Source: JESHOOTS-com/Pixabay" class="img-responsive img-fluid mx-auto d-block" src="https://cdn.storymd.com/optimized/8okKYat4o7/thumbnail.jpg" /> <figcaption>Smartphone. <em>Source: JESHOOTS-com/Pixabay</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>Currently, there are approximately 10,000 to 20,000 mental health and wellness apps available in the App Store, according to the <em>American Psychological Association</em>. In the past few years, the COVID-19 pandemic has likely given the digital mental health market an added boost because, while mental wellness apps started to gain traction in 2016, it wasn’t until the pandemic that Americans became more receptive to the idea of using technology to care for their mental health. </p> <p>The remarkable thing about these mental wellness apps is that, while one app alone can’t meet <em>all </em>your mental wellness needs, there’s likely an app that will address each one of your mental health concerns. For example, there are mental wellness apps that allow users to connect with trained therapists and access online talk therapy or psychiatric care. There are apps that are intended to be used in conjunction with traditional therapy where they are designed to help you facilitate the skills that you learned during in-person therapy sessions. Some apps help you gain insight into how your thoughts, feelings, and actions interact with each other. Other apps may help you to begin a meditation practice, cope with stress and anxiety, deal with addiction, or improve your sleep. Some apps may also provide valuable resources and support for those suffering from certain mental health conditions, like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or eating disorders (e.g., anorexia, bulimia). Essentially, whatever your mental wellness need, there’s likely an app available.</p> <h2>But do these mental wellness apps actually work? </h2> <p>As technology continues to advance, mental wellness apps have become increasingly popular as a way to improve mental health. With the convenience of having therapy at your fingertips, it’s easy to see why so many people have turned to these apps as a potential alternative to traditional in-person therapy. </p> <p>But the question is: do these mental wellness apps actually work? The short answer: it depends. </p> <p>The long answer: like any tool, it’s all about what the app is intended to do and how you use it. Some studies have shown that certain mental wellness apps can be effective in reducing mild symptoms of stress, depression, and anxiety. For example, a 2018 study published in the <em>Journal of Medical Internet </em><em>Research </em>found that a mindfulness app that teaches users how to meditate was effective at improving sleep and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression in college students. Another study published in the <em>Journal of Affective Disorders </em>found that using a smartphone app that aims to help users manage symptoms of depression through gratitude activities and cognitive and behavioral therapy (CBT) activities, such as using a thought diary to help reframe negative thinking, led to mild reductions in depression symptoms. </p> <p>With that said, however, a systematic meta-review (a review of 14 meta-analyses of randomized control trials) published in <em>PLOS Digital Health</em> found that mental wellness apps don’t seem to work all that well and don’t live up to their claims of treating mental health disorders. In fact, Dr. Simon B. Goldberg, a professor in the Department of Counseling Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and lead author of the study, concluded that the study “failed to find convincing evidence that mental health smartphone apps effectively treat symptoms of mental illness.”</p> <p>The meta-review pooled results from 145 randomized controlled trials on phone-based mental health interventions and found that, while the apps were more effective than no treatment at all, their usefulness waned significantly when they were compared to other treatments or interventions for mental health, such as traditional in-person psychiatric therapy. This was true regardless of whether the apps were targeting anxiety, stress, feelings of depression, tobacco or alcohol addiction, or general wellbeing. Additionally, the authors pointed out that there tends to be a “rapid dropout of user engagement” on most of these mental wellness apps, which contributes to the apps not being as effective at improving mental health and wellbeing as they claim. </p> <p>So, what does this all mean? Basically, mental wellness apps are better at improving mental and emotional wellbeing than doing nothing at all – that is, if you commit to it and choose the right app. However, these apps cannot replace traditional mental health interventions and treatments. </p> <h2>An app cannot replace professional mental health help</h2> <p>Because we live in an increasingly digital society, and with the rise in mental illness, mental wellness apps can be a moderately effective tool for managing mild stress, depression, and anxiety. They can be a great resource to have in your toolkit.</p> <p>However, these apps aren’t a magic bullet. While mental wellness apps may be better than doing nothing at all and can be a helpful supplement to traditional therapy and medication, they are not a replacement for professional mental health help and treatment. </p> <figure><img alt="Talk Therapy | Source: TheVisualMD" class="img-responsive img-fluid mx-auto d-block" src="https://cdn.storymd.com/optimized/8oj2znSLo7/thumbnail.jpg" /> <figcaption>Talk Therapy. <em>Source: TheVisualMD</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>Research shows that in-person therapy with a trained and qualified mental health professional is more effective than mental wellness apps in treating a variety of mental health disorders, including severe depression and anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. A study published in the <em>Journal of Medical Internet Research</em> found that participants who received in-person therapy experienced a greater reduction in symptoms of depression than those who used a self-help mental wellness app alone. </p> <p>So, if you’re experiencing symptoms of mental illness, it’s better to step away from your electronic device and seek out the help of a qualified mental healthcare professional. </p> <h2>More on Mental Health</h2><ul><li><a href="https://soulivity.storymd.com/journal/vwd778os4w-mental-health" target="_blank">Take Control of Your Mental Health</a></li><li><a href="https://soulivity.storymd.com/journal/qj33lr6iaj-how-to-promote-good-mental-health" target="_blank">How to Promote Good Mental Health to Cope With Daily Stresses</a></li><li><a href="https://soulivity.storymd.com/journal/vm9nnaasgw-mental-disorders" target="_blank">Mental Health Disorders: Types, Causes, Symptoms</a></li></ul>