A Must Have Mental Health Mobile Apps

We live in a society where almost every person owns a smartphone device. The sociocultural growth of smartphone devices has changed the way people reach their friends, obtain data and media, and share their lives. Approximately 92% of adults between the ages of 18 to 65 years old and over in the United States own a smartphone device.

The following suggested apps are based on establishment treatments (e.g., CBT, DBT, etc.) that you and/or your clients can use in everyday life.

1. Calm - Sleep, Meditate, Relax

Calm is free with in-app purchases for sleep, meditation and relaxation. Manage stress, balance moods, sleep better and refocus your attention. Guided meditation, Sleep Stories, soundscapes, breathwork and stretching exercises fill our extensive library. Practice self-healing and discover a happier you through Calm.

2. Wysa - Anxiety, Therapy Chatbot

This free with in-app purchases includes a mood tracker, mindfulness coach, anxiety helper, and mood-boosting buddy, all rolled into one. Wysa, your happiness buddy is that friendly and caring chatbot. Wysa is packed with daily spiritual meditation that improves mental health and is also a perfect way to bond over family meditation. Always there for you when you need someone to talk to, Wysa helps you keep track of your mood with friendly chats and helps fight stress and anxiety with its proven techniques and calming meditation and mindfulness audios.

 3. Mindshift - CBT

MindShift® CBT uses scientifically proven strategies based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help you learn to relax and be mindful, develop more effective ways of thinking, and use active steps to take charge of your anxiety. A new feature, the Community forum, now enables you to find and offer peer-to-peer support. 

4. Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson

Getting enough sleep is one of the foundations of mental health. A personal favorite I listen to all the time, this straightforward app features a warm, gentle voice guiding listeners through a Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) session and into sleep. Features long or short induction options, and an alarm. Cost: $2.49

5. WhatsMyM3

A three-minute depression and anxiety screen. Validated questionnaires assess symptoms of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and PTSD, and combine into a score that indicates whether or not a person’s life is impacted significantly by a mood disorder, recommending a course of action. The app keeps a history of test results, to help you track your progress.

6. DBT Diary Card and Skills Coach

Based on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) developed by psychologist Marsha Linehan, this app is a rich resource of self-help skills, reminders of the therapy principles, and coaching tools for coping. Created by a therapist with years of experience in the practice, this app is not intended to replace a professional but helps people reinforce their treatment.

7. Bearable - Symptom & Mood Tracker

Bearable empowers people to reclaim control over their well-being by making mood and symptom tracking simple, convenient, and accessible. Making entries in our health diary is quick and effortless, so you can focus more energy on feeling better. Record your Mood, Emotions, Sleep, Symptoms, & Energy Levels with just a few taps each day. Plus, create endless custom health metrics to track the reality of how you experience your health. Understand how your habits, treatments, & lifestyle choices impact your health.

8. iSleepEasy

A calm voice helps you quell anxieties and take the time to relax and sleep, in an array of guided meditations. Separately controlled voice and music tracks, flexible lengths, and an alarm.

9. Magic Window – Living Pictures

Not technically a mental health app, it makes no miraculous claims about curbing anxiety. However, there is independent research by Jared Green (2011) indicating that taking breaks and getting exposure to nature, even in videos, can reduce stress. This app offers an assortment of peaceful, ambient nature scenes from beautiful spots around the world.

10. BetterSleep

Sleep better. Feel better. BetterSleep helps you understand and improve your sleep with sleep tracking, premium sleep sounds and guided content curated just for you. Recommended by leading doctors, neuropsychologists, and sleep experts, BetterSleep is also validated by millions of users around the world. 91% of our listeners say they slept better after using the app for just one week.

I hope everyone's enjoy! :) 

Panagiotis Markopoulos, SACES social media chair & Technology Interest Network chair.

**If you have questions or comments contact me at sacessocialmedia@gmail.com**

Amended by Webmaster, 2023