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A study by Alyami, Giri, Alyami, & Sundram, (2017).concluded that through targeting social anxiety through the use of an app, it may increase access to better healthcare for sufferers and hopefully overcome treatment barriers. Social anxiety is a condition that can hinder people from getting help or seeking out services therefore apps may be useful for them as little effort and social interaction is needed from them.  Social anxiety apps can be beneficial however there are a small number of apps available, therefore finding the appropriate app may be challenging.

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A meta-analysis (Firth et al., 2017) found that smartphone interventions, including apps, had found a positive effect on the symptoms of depression, and these effects were larger than when using human or computerised interventions. The apps that gave feedback on the users such as progress scores had a greater effect than the apps that didn’t have feedback. The apps for those with depression appeared to be as suitable self-management tool and are applicable to a wide range of individuals.

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Teenagers are key users of smartphones therefore their opinion of these mental health apps should be considered, one study found that if they use apps they want them to be safe, functional, confidential, promote awareness, be able to engage. They found that the teenagers had a positive reaction to the prototype app that they were shown, however were concerned about stigma surrounding mental health and being subject to cyber bullying therefore for apps in the future  should be designed to be used discretely and possibly be low in cost (Kenny, Dooley, & Fitzgerald, 2016).

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There is limited research into the use of apps designed to help mental health sufferers, our blog is designed to see if users find the app advantageous. Firth et al., (2017) looked at a range of different studies (meta-analysis) and discovered that through the use of an app that anxiety levels are reduced compared to a group that did not use the app. The results were more significant if the people not using the app were in a waiting list for treatment.

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Do user's find mental health apps beneficial?

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Do user's find mental health apps beneficial?

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There is a rising number of individuals with mental health disorders, leading to a strain on NHS resources.  1 in 10 patients are currently experiencing a waiting period of up to or over a year before they receive treatment for their mental health disorders.  These delays are causing patients to attempt suicide, self-harm and causing on average 70 million sick days. Due to the rise in waiting times, people are more likely to go private, therefore, spending more money, when there are cheaper alternatives, such as mobile phone apps (Leigh, & Flatt, 2015).

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Alyami, M., Giri, B., Alyami, H., & Sundram, F. (2017). Social anxiety apps: a systematic review and assessment of app descriptors across mobile store platforms. Evidence-based Mental Health, 20(3), 65-70.

Firth, J., Torous, J., Nicholas, J., Carney, R., Pratap, A., Rosenbaum, S., & Sarris, J. (2017). The efficacy of smartphone‐based mental health interventions for depressive symptoms: a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials. World Psychiatry, 16(3), 287-298.

Firth, J., Torous, J., Nicholas, J., Carney, R., Rosenbaum, S., & Sarris, J. (2017). Can smartphone mental health interventions reduce symptoms of anxiety? A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Affective Disorders, 218, 15-22.

Kenny, R., Dooley, B., & Fitzgerald, A. (2016). Developing mental health mobile apps: exploring adolescents’ perspectives. Health Informatics Journal, 22(2), 265-275.

Leigh, S., & Flatt, S. (2015). App-based psychological interventions: friend or foe?. Evidence-based Mental Health, 18(4), 97-99.