With mental illnesses like anxiety and depression on the rise, professionals are now seeking help from mobile applications to aid patients during their treatment. Particularly useful for the younger generation to battle illness, these apps are a creative way to engage the youth in seeking help for their mental health.
Benefits of Mental Health Apps
It gets challenging to communicate with people who hesitate from face-to-face therapy. For such individuals, these mental health apps are a source of proper support, particularly when coupled with medication as well as personal counseling. Providing users with innovative solutions for testing and managing their mental health, these apps are remarkable.
The advent of mental health apps has revolutionized the world of healthcare. Often free, these mental health apps offer a wide variety of therapeutic techniques with a few clicks. They are portable, cost-effective, accessible and easy to use, and keep your brain health in check. This myriad of apps gives you access to everything from dealing with stress, anxiety, and depression to complex techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy as well as acceptance commitment therapy.
Owing to the social stigmas associated with mental health, many people are unable to seek advice from professionals. It is for such people, that mental health apps are especially useful. In addition to the ones restrained by societal norms, other people who can benefit from these apps are those with limited finances or who cannot afford therapy. Additionally, people who are unable to leave their homes because of a lack of mobility, anxiety, etc. also fall in this category.
These apps are not only reasonably priced, but they are also very secure because they promise privacy and confidentiality. This, in turn, is helping to create a safe space for those who do not wish to acknowledge their condition to the world because of the fear of alienation.
Mental Health Apps vs. Therapy
The use of mental health apps for brain testing, training or for coping with mental illness does not eliminate the need for professional help. For people battling severe conditions, seeking help from a licensed professional is crucial. The perfect app would be one that features a health practitioner’s consultation who is ready to answer queries and come to a patient’s aid in times of need and also through a 24/7 helpline service. However, this seemingly perfect scenario still does not serve as an alternative to traditional face-to-face therapy.
Traditional therapy entails tailored interpretations as well as perceptions from a one-on-one conversation. It enables a person to deal with the feeling of vulnerability in the presence of another human being as opposed to being in front of a digital screen. This instigates the development of a connection between the two and paves way for acceptance, helping the patient to change for the better.
Best Mental Health Apps
Taking a mental health screening test is the easiest way to determine whether what you are experiencing is a symptom of a potential mental health condition or something more than that. There is a wide variety of tests attending to various mental health-related issues. Following is a list of some of the best mental health apps that will change the way your brain gets tested and trained.
1.Braintest
A medical software company that provides its users with scientifically validated cognitive screening instruments on a variety of devices including mobile phones and tablets, Braintest is the best app in the market. It allows its patients to track their cognition and also attain personalized recommendations about their mental health; all from the comfort of their home. Holding exclusive digital rights to the SAGE test (Self-Administered Gerocognitive Examination) in partnership with Ohio State University, Braintest is a reliable, accessible and easy to use tool that helps many to assess their mental health in just a few clicks.2
2.Headspace
Meditation is a tried and tested technique to help in dealing with stress. It also helps to improve one’s attention span and general focus. Headspace is an app that uses mindfulness and meditation to help its users perform well on a daily basis. The app aims to promote a happy and healthy living using reflection as the ultimate tool. With meditation routines dedicated to different scenarios, Headspace helps you to find a therapeutic meditation session that suits your needs. Keep your mind fit and reduce your overall stress levels by using the power of mindfulness.
3.Moodnotes
A record of your mood and thoughts, Moodnotes is an app that helps you to channel your emotions by writing them down. It enables you to improve your thinking habits by invoking positive psychology. Additionally, Moodnotes helps to track your mood and records it for you for future access. This increases one’s self-awareness and enables patients to take note of different feelings such as stress, anxiety, and depression, thereby helping them to work on their overall well-being.
4.Talkspace
This is a therapy and counseling app that provides its users with an affordable, convenient and confidential way of dealing with stress, anxiety, chronic illness and much more. After an initial free consultation to assess your mental health, Talkspace enables you to see a therapist for your unique needs. Once you become a member, you get full access to a secure and private chat room where you can voice your concerns to a licensed counselor. An affordable alternative to an actual therapist, this app costs its users a fraction of the money they pay to a regular therapist.
5.SuperBetter
A game that focuses on increasing one’s resilience and challenging abilities, SuperBetter, like its name, promotes a stable, optimistic and motivated outlook towards dealing with life and its obstacles. The app helps its users to combat bouts of anxiety and depression and invokes self-belief, so they feel motivated towards achieving their goals. An excellent way to adopt new habits and improve your cognitive skills, SuperBetter is an app that helps you to set short-term as well as long-term objectives. The main aim is to help you in becoming a better version of yourself through gaming.
An excellent aid for guidance and support to those who cannot seek professional help owing to certain limitations, health apps are a valuable tool in treatment. Test your brain health now and employ the use of these apps to assess yourself before it is too late.
