Technology has helped the world progress at a faster pace but it also has its limitations. We have always talked about making efforts to stay away from technology but isn’t it a better option to harness the benefits the way we want? Technology is definitely a beautiful tool and it has eased our lives so much that one feels quite handicapped without it. A recent development in the field of technology is a sudden focus on the need to develop health apps that focus on fitness and mental well-being. Research has proved that many people with mental illnesses don’t get the help that they require. Around 35-50% of the people suffering from serious mental illness in developed countries did not receive adequate help in the previous year. Although many factors contribute to this serious treatment gap, a shortage of trained mental health professionals, particularly in low income countries pose a great threat. Almost everyone owns a smartphone and this is the reason why mobile phone applications are getting attention now.
Of about 15,000 health related mobile based applications, one-third of them deal with mental health issues. Here are 5 popular ones:

1. Talkspace: This app lets you connect with trained and licensed professionals/therapists where you can share your emotions and feelings anonymously. It is not a free app, but they provide a range of services using audio, video and text as well as language options from which you can choose services that suit your needs.

2. What’s my M3: A lot of people suffer from depression these days and the sad part is that most of them fail to realize the symptoms. A few of them fail to accept it and feel shy to consult a psychiatrist. This app has been created by a group of therapists and bipolar disorder experts to help the user share his feelings and assess the illness accordingly. It gives suggestions and recommendations to help you deal with one’s issues.

3. Mood-o-scope: Most of the doctors recommend this app for patients who come for the first time with mental illnesses.  This app helps keep track of the patients’ emotions by monitoring and recording their moods through a series of questions throughout the day.

4. MotionX 24/7: Sleep is the first thing that gets affected when you suffer from anxiety and depression. In most cases, early stages of depression are treated with pills and techniques that induce sleep. This app lets you keep track of your sleep habits and patterns and gives you personalized feedback every day to help improve your sleep pattern.

5. Operation Reach Out: A lifesaving app that helps people with suicidal thoughts to reach out for help. The app gets updated with a lot of expert talks, motivational quotes, etc. to help people come out of their suicidal thoughts and lead a happy life.

 

References:
http://evus.com/blog/10-mobile -apps-mental-health/
http://psychcentral.com/blog/a rchives/2013/01/16/top-10-ment al-health-apps/