Let’s face it. Many of us are attached at the hip to our smartphones. From candy crush to Instagram, phones are often crammed with apps. Recently, medicine’s gotten into the game, with apps that aim to help people be healthier. One area of particular interest is mental health. Search around and you’ll find any number of apps that promise to help you relax, control your anxiety, meditate and the like. Apps that target our mental wellbeing are on the rise, but even as smartphones continue to get smarter, some in the field are calling into question the effectiveness of mental health apps. Dr. Joseph Austerman, a psychiatrist at Cleveland Clinic, joined host Rick Jackson in the studio.
Here are some key takeaways from their conversation:
- In the United States, around 20% of people struggle with mental illness at some point in their lives. Recently, there’s been a 40% increase in reporting of youth mental illnesses, specifically depression and anxiety.
- There are different types of mental illness, including mood disorders like depression and bipolar disorder, as well as anxiety disorders. Psychotic disorders like schizophrenia are included as well, but are much less common.
- There are over 200,000 apps focused on mental health. In the United States, we examine approximately 15% of those applications. In Europe, they vet about 20%. At best, only 20% of mental health applications are being looked at, leaving 80% without certification from a governing body.
- FDA has taken a hands off approach to mental health apps, with the hope of encouraging innovation.
- A few studies found the apps to have the opposite effect.
- Face to face assessment with a professional remains the gold standard, but some research supports the use of apps in aiding people in their mental healthcare.
- When exploring apps, talk to a healthcare professional and get feedback about what could be beneficial.
- Do your own research before downloading, including looking at the team of developers who worked on the app.
- Globally, the World Healthcare Organization has started to develop guidelines by looking at who’s using the apps and how they’re being used.
Additional Resources: