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You may know many apps for physical fitness, yet you may not think of apps for help with mental health. Apps can be useful for those who are experiencing mental health issues by identifying issues, providing coping techniques, tracking symptoms, and guiding users to mental health professionals.
These eight apps are designed to help deal with issues such as depression, anxiety, PTSD and overall mental well-being.
Like apps for physical health, these mental health apps are not intended to replace treatment from professionals. Instead, these apps can supplement therapy from mental health professionals and guide people towards getting treatment by identifying symptoms they may be experiencing .
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Infographic
This infographic displays 8 apps to help with mental health. Read below to find out more and get links to the apps.
Apps for Overall Mental Health
These apps can help relax you and clear your mind from bothersome thoughts.
Calm
Calm is an app and a website that can help bring a sense of peace into your world. The app’s mission is to make the world a healthier and happier place. Calm can help you with meditation, sleep and relaxation with custom audio content including The Daily Calm.
This app is free to use and a subscription is available for advanced meditation.
Headspace
Headspace is a free app that helps guide you through meditation. By spending a few minutes a day using their program for meditation and mindfulness you may be able to reduce your stress level. A paid subscription is available for more guided meditation.
The Headspace website provides more information about the service as well as links to the app for iPhone/iPad and Android.
Apps for Stress and Anxiety
Feeling frazzled? Check out these apps to help you regain a sense of balance.
FearTools Anxiety Aid
Use the FearTools Anxiety Aid app for controlled breathing exercises and to shift your focus to a calmer place. This free app also offers an anxiety questionnaire and thought diary to help you track your anxiety levels over time.
The developer says, “This application is especially useful for those suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Phobias, and Social Anxiety Disorder.”
Learn more and get links to the iPhone/iPad and Android apps at the FearTools website.
Sanvello
The Sanvello app offers on-demand help with stress, anxiety, and depression. Track your moods, interact with others, and use the app’s tool kit of strategies and resources to help you heal over time.
This video from Sanvello shows how the app works:
Learn more about Sanvello (formerly known as Pacifica) and get links to the apps for iPhone/iPad and Android at the Savello website.
Apps for Depression
These apps can help you identify the signs of depression and deal with its symptoms.
MoodKit
The MoodKit app can help you deal with depression by offering over 200 activities to improve your mood. Also included is a mood tracker with a chart to monitor your moods over periods of seven and thirty days.
In the Thought Checker and Journal sections of the app, you can record your negative thoughts and identify what may have triggered them. The app lets you set a PIN to keep your entries private.
MoodKit is available for iPhone and iPad for $4.99.
Youper
Youper is an app that lets you have a conversation with a bot using Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). Start a Youper chat to discuss how you’re feeling or start a guided meditation. Developed by doctors, scientists, and engineers, Youper personalizes its techniques based on your conversation.
Youper is a free app available for iPhone/iPad and Android. Find out more and get links to the apps at the Youper website.
Apps for PTSD
These apps were developed by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) for veterans who are experiencing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and may be helpful to others as well.
PTSD Coach
PTSD Coach is an app developed by the VA specifically to help veterans deal with the symptoms of PTSD. This app helps users track and manage symptoms of PTSD and offers help such as breathing exercises, positive imagery, resources to get education and support, and assessment tools.
PTSD Coach is a free app for:
PE Coach 2
Like PTSD Coach, PE Coach 2 is an app developed by the VA to help veterans deal with the symptoms of PTSD. PE Coach is designed to be used in conjunction with a professional therapist using Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy.
The app will guide you through exercises assigned by your therapist as well as help you keep track of your moods. PE Coach 2 also offers techniques such as breathing exercises to help reduce your stress.
PE Coach 2 is available for iPhone/iPad and Android:
Your Thoughts
Do you think apps can be helpful in dealing with mental health issues? Which of these apps do you think could be most effective for improving mental health? Are there any other mental health apps you would recommend?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
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*Infographic used with permission of A Place for Mom
With 3 small children, these tools are just what I need! Thank you so much!
Hi Sue, I’m so glad you found this article helpful. As a mom of three children who used to be small, I can completely relate!
Hi Carolyn
It is little sad that there is a marked for so many apps for better mental health. In the other hand also great that people can get help that easily wherever they are and whenever they need it. I guess that is what your blog here is all about. Finding technical solution for everyday problems, right? 🙂
I have never tried any of those apps, but maybe I should check them out.
Hi Thomas, You’re right, it would be fantastic if there were no market for mental health apps, or physical health apps, because everyone was perfectly healthy. But we live in a world where people do struggle with health issues, both mental and physical. Apps such as these may help people identify and/or alleviate symptoms of mental health issues.
Sometimes people have difficulty recognizing they have issues or reaching out for help. These apps may be the first way that some people suffering from mental health issues recognize their issues and start to get treatment.
I love “Calm”, it is a great app, for people dealing with stress and anxiety. You can relax quite rapidly !
Hi Jean, I’m glad you enjoy the Calm app and that it’s effective to help you relax quickly. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.
It’s very interesting that there are so many different apps for addressing stress, anxiety, and so forth. One that I didn’t see is a “white noise” app. I personally recommend “www.mynoise.net” There are several (about 30) sound environments available, all with the ability to shape each one with an equalizer style tool to dial in specific aspects of the environment. You can even save the customized environment to a URL so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you use it. I personally like the Distant Thunder sounds to relax. I recommend using headphones for better clarity.
There is an app by the same author that has many of the sounds that are on the website, but I prefer to run the web version from Safari on my iPhone. More choices that way. It’s ad free, and no cost to use. You are encouraged to donate if you like the site. This one’s a keeper!
Hi Scott, Thank you very much for the recommendation. White noise can help some people tune out the world around them and help calm them down. Also, check out The Wonder of Tech article, 12 Tech Tools to Help You Relax for other ideas.
Thank you for sharing! I will recommend some of them to my friend who had depression. Hopefully he will get better:)
Hi Bintang, I’m sorry to hear about your friend but I do hope that some of these apps help him gauge his moods and help lift him up when he’s suffering.
It’s amazing to see what things ordinary people come up with to help others. Hopefully someday there will be enough support for people who have issues in their lives so that everyone finds help. Who knows, maybe even someone reading this will come up with something!
Hi Duilio, Good point. It would be great if no one ever needed any of these apps, as it would be if no one ever needed a physical health app. But the reality is that everyone needs help at some point.
Those who face mental health issues may need to learn more but don’t know where to turn. These apps may be an effective place to help diagnose mental health issues and to get ideas to help alleviate symptoms.
Headspace is really a good app that u pointed out!
It really helps me relax my mind my meditating
Hi Raunak, Great to hear from a Headspace fan. I’m so glad that Headspace helps you relax by meditating. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with us.