Whilst there are various different e-treatment options for individuals with mental health difficulties, the simplicity and convenience of mindfulness/meditation apps makes this option a particularly endearing one.

There is a wealth of research supporting the mental, emotional and social benefits of mindfulness in general (Corcoran, Farb, Anderson & Segal, 2010; Farb et al, 2010; Chambers, Lo & Allen, 2008; Dekeyser, Raes, Leijssen, Leyson & Dewulf, 2008). Many appear to provide scientific support as to why such apps are growing so rapidly in popularity; a number of stress management apps have been scientifically proven to be effective (Carissoli, Villani & Riva, 2015; Coulon, Monroe & West, 2016). The Headspace app is an example of such a success, with a number of studies demonstrating its effectiveness as a stress management tool (Economides, Martman, Bell & Sanderson, 2018). A 2018 study following medical students using Headspace to reduce stress levels at university found its use over the course of 30-60 days to significantly reduce perceived stress levels and increase their quality of life (Yang, E., Schamber, E., Meyer, R. M., & Gold, J. I., 2018).

Headspace is similarly effective in reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms in its users too (Bostock, S., Crosswell, A. D., Prather, A. A., & Steptoe, A. (2018), and has been shown to also reduce aggression (DeSteno, David & Lim, Daniel & Duong, Fred & Condon, Paul., 2017).

Although it is clear that Headspace is an effective way to reduce stress for many, they do explicitly state online that it is not intended to be primary treatment: “Headspace is not intended to manage, treat or cure any medical condition”. 

As a result, we might question how effective such apps really are as e-treatments - is it fair to describe them as e-treatments at all? Perhaps a more accurate description of such apps would lead to them falling under the category of e-supplements. Such a title appropriately suggests medical benefits without leading one to believe that it could possibly be used to “manage, treat or cure any medical condition” in isolation. That such a supplement would of course aid one’s mental health and development, but should never be depended upon as an ailment. 

References:
Carissoli, C., Villani, D., & Riva, G. (2015). Does a Meditation Protocol Supported by a Mobile Application Help People Reduce Stress? Suggestions from a Controlled Pragmatic Trial. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, And Social Networking, 18(1), 46-53. 

Chambers, R., Lo, B., & Allen, N. (2008). The Impact of Intensive Mindfulness Training on Attentional Control, Cognitive Style, and Affect. Cognitive Therapy And Research, 32(3), 303-322. 

Corcoran, K. M., Farb, N., Anderson, A., & Segal, Z. V. (2010). Mindfulness and emotion regulation: Outcomes and possible mediating mechanisms. In A. M. Kring & D. M. Sloan (Eds.), Emotion regulation and psychopathology: A transdiagnostic approach to etiology and treatment (pp. 339-355). New York, NY, US: Guilford Press.

Coulon, S., Monroe, C., & West, D. (2016). A Systematic, Multi-domain Review of Mobile Smartphone Apps for Evidence-Based Stress Management. American Journal Of Preventive Medicine, 51(1), 95-105. 

Davis, D., & Hayes, J. (2011). What are the benefits of mindfulness? A practice review of psychotherapy-related research. Psychotherapy, 48(2), 198-208.

Dekeyser, M., Raes, F., Leijssen, M., Leysen, S., & Dewulf, D. (2008). Mindfulness skills and interpersonal behaviour. Personality And Individual Differences, 44(5), 1235-1245. 

Economides, M., Martman, J., Bell, M., & Sanderson, B. (2018). Improvements in Stress, Affect, and Irritability Following Brief Use of a Mindfulness-based Smartphone App: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Mindfulness, 9(5), 1584-1593. 

Farb, N., Anderson, A., Mayberg, H., Bean, J., McKeon, D., & Segal, Z. (2010). Minding one’s emotions: Mindfulness training alters the neural expression of sadness. Emotion, 10(1), 25-33. 

Langer, E. (2000). Mindful Learning. Current Directions In Psychological Science, 9(6), 220-223. 

Langer, E., & Moldoveanu, M. (2000). The Construct of Mindfulness. Journal Of Social Issues, 56(1), 1-9. 

Mani, M., Kavanagh, D., Hides, L., & Stoyanov, S. (2015). Review and Evaluation of Mindfulness-Based iPhone Apps. JMIR Mhealth And Uhealth, 3(3), e82.

What is Meditation. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.headspace.com/meditation-101/what-is-meditation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfHAxFCrFX8

Given that social media and mental health vlogging as a phenomena in itself is still quite new, research is still at a relatively primitive stage. As such, many researchers are divided on the weight of the pro’s and con’s of such platforms given the risks of unqualified individuals distributing unsolicited advice.

That being said there are a number of potential benefits of “peer-to-peer” support that arise as a result of platforms such as YouTube. One such benefit of mental health advocacy on YouTube is feeling greater social connectedness, which is likely produced through sharing personal mental health struggles and coping strategies (Naslund, Aschbrenner, Marsch & Bartels, 2016; Sangeorzan, Andriopoulou & Livanou, 2019).

Facing a world of stigma by sharing one’s story online is no small feat. Sartorius (2007) found stigma to be one of the main challenges faced by those with mental health difficulties, often as a knock-on consequence of discrimination. On the other hand, the very nature of discussing mental health difficulties openly can be an effective way of reducing stigma (Naslund et al., 2016; Sangeorzan et al., 2019). For example, blog creators can use their platform to highlight their personal experiences of living with mental health difficulties. This may lead to less discrimination and a chance for people to feel less alone in their illness with the sense of community provided through interacting with others online (Barak, Boniel-Nissim & Suler, 2008).

These acts of advocacy have a positive relationship with empowerment (taking control of over their own life) and as such becomes a crucial tool in redefining their relationship with their illness (Palmer et al., 2012). Blogs are a good way of providing empowerment to specific groups of people (Barak et al., 2008). Empowerment can be defined as giving people power to use in their own lives, communities and society (Page & Czuba, 1999). In relation to mental health, this could relate to empowering people to seek treatment or to look for support from those around them, to join in with a community of people similar to them or to maybe even go out and help other people who are struggling. Research conducted in 2008 has suggested that online communities are often designed to create a sense of control, self-confidence and independence in those who are distressed, often leading to a greater sense of empowerment (Barak et al., 2008).

References:
Barak, A., Boniel-Nissim, M., & Suler, J. (2008). Fostering empowerment in online support groups. Computers In Human Behavior, 24(5), 1867-1883. 

Naslund, J., Aschbrenner, K., Marsch, L., & Bartels, S. (2016). The future of mental health care: peer-to-peer support and social media. Epidemiology And Psychiatric Sciences, 25(02), 113-122. 

Page, N., & Czuba, C. (1999). Empowerment: What is it. Journal Of Extension, 37(5), 1-5.

Palmer, D., Nixon, J., Reynolds, S., Panayiotou, A., Palmer, A., & Meyerowitz, R. (2012). Getting to know you: reflections on a specialist independent mental health advocacy service for Bexley and Bromley residents in forensic settings. Mental Health Review Journal, 17(1), 5-13.

Press - YouTube. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/intl/en-GB/yt/about/press/

Sangeorzan, I., Andriopoulou, P., & Livanou, M. (2019). Exploring the experiences of people vlogging about severe mental illness on YouTube: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Journal Of Affective Disorders, 246, 422-428.

Sartorius, N. (2007). Stigma and mental health. The Lancet, 370(9590), 810-811.