The negative implications of the coronavirus pandemic include mental and emotional health issues. Being social creatures, we, humans, found ourselves highly vulnerable to social isolation and limitations that come with it. Approximately 4 in 10 adults in the US are reporting mental health problems in 2020-21. Unable to physically visit a counselor or a mental health professional, many people seek support in digital solutions and telemedicine. Thus, lockdowns and the accelerated digitization of healthcare have set the stage for the rise of mental health apps.
In this article, we will focus on the factors that lead to the growing popularity of digital mental health platforms, and explore some of the prominent mental health app examples. But first, let’s spill the light on some of the alarming statistics.
Mental Health Stats: The State of Affairs
As surveys indicate, the rate of adults reporting mental health problems in the US has been continuously growing from one in ten back in 2019, to almost 40% of the population experiencing depression, anxiety, or suffering from alcohol or substance abuse in 2020-21. Limited social interactions, economic difficulties, job loss, and lack of childcare caused many adults to feel anxious or depressed.
Teenagers also turned out to be an extremely vulnerable category: as much as 73% of parents report that their children are struggling with the negative emotional consequence of the lockdown and social isolation.
Fortunately, though, the awareness about mental disorders and the importance of taking timely care of one’s emotional wellbeing is also increasing, and so does the user pool of mental health apps. As of March 2021, the global market share of mental health apps is predicted to reach $3,709.2 million by 2027.
Globally, about 450 million people are suffering from some kind of mental or neurological condition, according to WHO. At the same time, the stigmatization of mental disorders and conditions is decreasing, as people are becoming more aware and informed about the nature and origins of mental health problems. Needless to say, this opens the doorway of opportunity for entrepreneurs willing to tap into mental health app development.
Examples of Mental Health Apps
Mental health apps available today are quite diverse, and so are the services they deliver. Some services fall into the category of telehealth apps, as they offer remote in-person consultations with certified mental health professionals. Other apps help users monitor their current condition, offer advice and insights, tips, and exercises. A vast segment of mental health apps targets a specific disorder (for example, anxiety or depression), and helps users manage their conditions. Mental health chatbots trained according to therapy protocols are also becoming mainstream.
Moodfit
This app is targeted at everyone who aims to improve their overall mood and emotional wellbeing. Similar to fitness apps, Moodfit gives you tips and advice on how you can start feeling better based on the individual data you submit. Gradually, you start to tie your daily activities to your emotional wellbeing and hone your routines to build better emotional resilience.
Talkspace
Talkspace is, essentially, a telemedicine platform connecting people with emotional and mental health problems to licensed mental health professionals. For moderate pricing, users can talk to therapists certified in cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic, humanistic, and existential approaches, and get professional help. The communication formats also vary from text messaging to private video chat. All communication takes place using encryption protocols and is confidential.
Sanvello
This app targets users with mild to moderate depression and anxiety and offers them self-help tips based on the approaches of cognitive-behavioral therapy. The app helps users track their condition, enhance emotional competence and build lifelong skills that will help them maintain psychological integrity. Users may also contact licensed professionals through the app if they need more support. Support is also available via a community of Sanvello users who can network and share their experiences.
Woebot
A chatbot, built by a team of technology and psychology experts from Stanford University and Dublin University College, this mental health app provides assistance based on cognitive behavior therapy protocols in a form of a spontaneous chat. The efficacy of Woebot has been proved during the pandemic, as the app helped significantly reduce problematic substance abuse.
What’s Up
This app is a useful asset for people with social anxiety – a specific mental health condition that manifests in social situations. What’s Up helps users track catastrophic thoughts and avoidant behavior patterns, includes networking and gamification features to help users gain control over their wellbeing. The app uses cognitive behavior and acceptance commitment therapy methods. Available for Android only.
To Conclude:
The examples above should give you some ideas about the current state of mental health app development and the variety of solutions that are currently available. As the stigma about mental health conditions gets removed, people are starting to take proactive approaches when it comes to their emotional wellbeing. With mental health and emotional wellness becoming a priority for so many people, the future of mental health apps looks brighter than ever.
Thinking about building mental health apps and solutions? Talk to us now about your app idea!