Mental Health Apps – some stats, thoughts and a best of list!

This article has been inspired by an article that listed the best mental health apps. While I shall talk about that a bit below, interestingly, the author had also published an article on how such apps are evaluated.

So in a funny kind of way, I am highlighting the work of Emily Reynolds. You can follow her and find out more about her via her Twitter.

Mental Health issues are more common than you think

The first article I’d like to highlight looks at mental health stats in the UK. How many people around you suffer from depression, anxiety or more serious forms of mental health issues? Take a number. Any number. Then think of all of your friends. Try and find out how many of them have those issues. Sound a bit unreasonable?

The article highlights that almost 1 in 5 men and 1 in 3 women suffer from mental health issues.

On top of this, it also talks about how there exists a prejudice against people who have such issues, forcing them to stay hidden instead of seeking help.

Mental Health Apps – are they good?

So the big question is, can you use an app to seek help? Will an app be as good as visiting a therapist? The short answer is ‘probably no’. Nothing can beat a person who has spent years training sitting next to you, learning about your problems, and slowly helping you out of your issues.

Before we go on to highlight the article that talks about the best apps out there, we’d like to highlight the start of the article:

Most apps designed for mental health sufferers – including those endorsed by the NHS – are clinically unproven and potentially ineffective, a recent study has shown.

Sound disappointing? Well, it isn’t the only way to look at things. Just because something is unproven doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. However, the main idea here is that while a mental health app may do you some good, it will not replace visiting or talking to an actual human, one who is trained in the arts.

You can read the article at the following link.

The best apps out there

This article is a bit old, so it may not be up to date, or the apps may have become worse (or better) through updates. If you do a quick search on Google, you will find loads of compilations of articles that talk about mental health apps. I would like to highlight the one below merely for the reason that it comes from the same writer mentioned above and that it has been featured on Gadgette, run by Holly, who wrote about her dad’s suicide.

The article looks at 5 different apps. Click here for the list.

Do they talk to you, listen to your problems and then help?

No, actually, they are more to help you on a life style level. There are certain little things we can do to help our mental health. Drink more water. Do more exercise. Write things down. Breathe. Most of these apps will help you do that. My suggestion would be to try them out and see if you feel better.

Seek professional help

Before I finish, I would like to highlight, once again, that nothing will beat professional help. If you are anxious, depressed or just feel like you need help, please do seek professional help. You can look at our database for a list of doctors/therapists in Pakistan.

Have you ever used apps? Have they helped? Please do let us know in the comments section below.

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