Last Updated on April 16, 2024 by Ali Hamza
Data gathering and assistance for mental health have entered a new era because of technology. Mobile gadgets like cell phones, smartphones, and tablets have given the general public, medical practitioners, and academics new ways to get help, monitor progress, and further their understanding of mental health.
An explosion in app development has resulted from excitement about the vast array of prospects. The number of mental health applications is increasing every year and currently stands at hundreds. However, this new technological frontier is rather ambiguous. Consumers may worry about which apps they should trust because there is very little industry oversight and very little data on app efficacy. It’s crucial to consider the benefits and drawbacks of extending mental health care and research into a mobile environment before focusing on the state of the science and where it may go.
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Positives and negatives of mental health app
According to experts, technology has great promise for both patients and physicians. The following are just a few benefits of mobile care:
- Simplicity
- Confidentiality
- An explanation of care
- lower price
- Serving a larger audience
- 24-hour interest-free service
- Consistency
- Collecting data to support an objective
Although there are many advantages to this new era of mental health technology, there are also some serious drawbacks. Software developers and the mental health community are concentrating on the following because:
- Effectiveness: Finding scientific proof that technology treatments are effective and effective on par with conventional approaches is a major worry.
- Whom and what are they for Understanding whether applications are effective for all users and for all mental health issues is another issue.
- Security: App developers are able to ensure users’ privacy through the use of outsourced IT support since apps deal with extremely sensitive personal data.
- Guidance: Consumers cannot determine if an app or other mobile technology is effective due to the lack of industry-wide standards.
- Regulation: It is necessary to find an answer to the question of who will or should govern mental health technology and the data it produces.
Current development trends for apps
Teams of inventive researchers and engineers are pooling their talents to solve a variety of mental health issues. Popular app development fields include:
Self-control apps
In order for an app to “self-manage,” the user must provide data so that the app can offer feedback. For instance, the user may use the app to create tools for managing stress, anxiety, or sleep issues. They could even set up medicine reminders.
Management of illness and supported care
This type of software technology offers further aid by allowing the user to speak with another individual. The software can connect the user with peer support or send data to a licensed healthcare practitioner who can offer guidance and therapeutic options. How much human connection individuals require for app-based treatments to be effective is a topic of research.
Tracking passive symptoms
Apps that can collect data using smartphone sensors are actively being developed. These sensors have the ability to record a wide range of data, such as speech speed and pitch, social interactions, daily routines, and movement patterns. In the future, apps could be able to analyze this data to determine the user’s mental state in real-time. These applications could be able to identify behavioral changes that indicate mania, depression, or psychosis before they really happen. While a mental health expert cannot be replaced by an app, it may be able to notify caretakers when a client needs more care.
Data gathering
Apps that gather data can do so without the user’s involvement. Researchers’ understanding of mental health can be improved, and they can create more effective therapies, by gathering information from many people at once.
Engineers and clinicians in a new partnership
Researchers have discovered that treatments work best when participants are interested in, like utilizing, and desire to continue doing so. Apps for behavioral health will need to combine the abilities of the developers to make an app user-friendly and entertaining with the abilities of clinicians to offer efficient treatment alternatives.
Researchers and software developers are creating and testing applications that can manage, teach coping mechanisms and even foretell when a person might want further emotional support. Apps for intervention may aid in quitting smoking, managing signs, or overcoming symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, or sleeplessness.
App evaluation
For selecting a mental health app, there are no review committees, checklists, or generally agreed guidelines. The majority of apps lack peer-reviewed research to back up their claims, and it is doubtful that all mental health applications will undergo randomized, controlled research trials to evaluate efficacy. One explanation is that testing takes a long time, but technology advances fast.
When an app has undergone extensive scientific testing, the initial technology could be antiquated. Customers should be wary of putting their confidence in a program. However, there are a few recommendations for how to locate an app that could be useful to you:
- Ask a reputable medical professional for a suggestion. Some larger providers could give a variety of applications and gather information on their usage.
- Be wary of logos that deceive. No applications have been created by, and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) does not support any of them.
- Check to verify if an app is based on a tried-and-true therapy if there is no information available about it.
- Try it. If an app catches your mind, test it out for a few days to see if it’s easy to use, keeps your interest, and if you want to keep using it.
