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<p>Mental health apps provide a way to access meditation sessions and contact healthcare professionals to discuss the effects of life changes and environment on a person’s mental health. Most apps are free to download, and these may give people access to a limited number of features. To access all of an app’s features, a person may need to pay for a subscription. However, some also offer free features if a person has insurance with a partnered insurance company.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Medical News Today (www. medicalnewstoday. com) chose mental health apps that fit the following criteria:&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Support: Apps that provide support for a range of mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Features: Apps that offer different features, such as games, activities, and the ability to talk with licensed therapists.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Price: Apps that fit a range of budgets, from free features to paying for therapy.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Availability: Apps that are available for iOS and Android devices as well as desktop computers.&nbsp;</p>
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<p><strong>Quick links&nbsp;</strong></p>
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<p><em>(Please note that the Medical News Today writer of this article has not tried any of these products. All information presented here is purely research-based.)&nbsp;</em></p>
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<p>Best for beginners: Calm&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Best for reducing daily stress: Headspace&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Best mood journal: Moodnotes&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Best for reducing anxiety: Sanvello&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Best for children and teenagers: SuperBetter&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Best for seeking help anonymously: 7 Cups&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Best for forming new habits: Happify&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Best for counseling: Talkspace&nbsp;</p>
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<p><strong>What are mental health apps?&nbsp;</strong></p>
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<p>Around 51.5 million adults in the United States had a mental health condition in 2019. Around 13.1 million of those were serious mental health conditions.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>The three most common mental health conditions among U.S. adults are anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Additionally, mood disorders are currently the most common cause of hospitalization for every U.S. adult under the age of 45 years, excluding pregnancy and birth.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Mental health apps focus on maintaining or improving mental health using methods such as meditation, hypnosis, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and by providing a valuable support network.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Apps are not a substitute for professional mental health care. Be aware that apps may sell a person’s data. Healthcare professionals must follow all HIPAA laws, whereas apps may be subject to different privacy laws.&nbsp;</p>
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<p><strong>Benefits of mental health apps&nbsp;</strong></p>
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<p>Most mental health apps use mindfulness and CBT techniques to help people improve their mental health.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Mindfulness meditation is a technique that usually involves focusing on breathing while sitting or lying down or engaging in a gentle activity such as walking. The goal of mindfulness meditation is to recognize negative thoughts and feelings as distracting events and focus on an object or activity such as breathing.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>CBT works by encouraging people to form new habits and ways of thinking to reduce the symptoms of mental health conditions. For example, CBT for a person with depression may include encouraging them to take steps toward going to social events and meeting up with friends and family.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Studies into apps that use these techniques — such as Calm, Headspace, and SuperBetter — seem to suggest that engaging in mindfulness meditation and CBT through an app can improve mental health.&nbsp;</p>
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<p><strong>What else can you do to improve your mental health?&nbsp;</strong></p>
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<p>One way to improve mental health is by engaging in regular exercise.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.gov), getting regular exercise can help with:&nbsp;</p>
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<p>depression&nbsp;</p>
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<p>anxiety&nbsp;</p>
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<p>stress&nbsp;</p>
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<p>attention deficit hyperactivity disorder&nbsp;</p>
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<p>PTSD&nbsp;</p>
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<p>self-esteem&nbsp;</p>
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<p>sleep&nbsp;</p>
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<p>People should try to exercise for at least 30 minutes every day. However, exercising for a shorter amount of time is still more beneficial than not exercising at all.&nbsp;</p>
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<p><strong>When should you contact a doctor?&nbsp;</strong></p>
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<p>People may wish to contact a doctor if they experience any of the following:&nbsp;</p>
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<p>excessive feelings of worry and fear&nbsp;</p>
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<p>profound sadness&nbsp;</p>
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<p>changes in mood, sleeping, or eating habits&nbsp;</p>
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<p>sudden mood shifts or more mood shifts than usual&nbsp;</p>
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<p>anger and irritability&nbsp;</p>
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<p>fatigue&nbsp;</p>
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<p>confusion or difficulty concentrating&nbsp;</p>
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<p>feelings of guilt or worthlessness&nbsp;</p>
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<p>avoidance of social activities <br><br><br></p>
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<p><strong>SUICIDE PREVENTION&nbsp;</strong></p>
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<p>If you know someone at immediate risk of self-harm, suicide, or hurting another person:&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Ask the tough question: “Are you considering suicide?”&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Listen to the person without judgment.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Call 911 or the local emergency number, or text TALK to 741741 to communicate with a trained crisis counselor.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Stay with the person until professional help arrives.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Try to remove any weapons, medications, or other potentially harmful objects.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, a prevention hotline can help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours per day at 800-273-8255. During a crisis, people who are hard of hearing can use their preferred relay service or dial 711 then 800-273-8255. <br><br></p>
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<p>Sources: <a href="https://www. medicalnewstoday.com" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www. medicalnewstoday.com">https://www. medicalnewstoday.com </a></p>
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<p>Written by Hannah Nichols — Medically reviewed by Bethany Juby, PsyD&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Benefits of physical activity. (2021).&nbsp;</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/ index.htm ">https://www.cdc.gov/ physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/ index.htm </a></p>
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<p>Chand, S. P., et al. (2021). Cognitive behavior therapy.&nbsp;</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ books/NBK470241/ ">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ books/NBK470241/ </a></p>
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<p>Economides, M., et al. (2018). Improvements in stress, affect, and irritability following brief use of a mindfulness-based smartphone app: A randomized controlled trial.&nbsp;</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pmc/articles/PMC6153897">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pmc/articles/PMC6153897</a>/ </p>
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<p>Health information privacy (n.d.).&nbsp;</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/index. html ">https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/index. html </a></p>
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<p>Huberty, J., et al. (2019). Efficacy of the mindfulness meditation mobile app "Calm" to reduce stress among college students: Randomized controlled trial.&nbsp;</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pmc/articles/PMC6614998/ ">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pmc/articles/PMC6614998/ </a></p>
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<p>Mental health by the numbers. (2021).&nbsp;</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.nami.org/mhstats">https://www.nami.org/mhstats</a></p>
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<p>Mental health screening. (2021).&nbsp;</p>
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<p><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/ mental-health-screening/ ">https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/ mental-health-screening/ </a></p>
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<p>Roepke, A. N., et al. (2015). Randomized controlled trial of SuperBetter, a smartphone-based/ internet-based self-help tool to reduce depressive symptoms [Abstract].&nbsp;</p>
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<p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/26182069/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/26182069/ </a></p>
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<p>Wielgosz, J., et al. (2019). Mindfulness meditation and psychopathology.&nbsp;</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pmc/articles/PMC6597263/ ">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pmc/articles/PMC6597263/ </a></p>
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