Mental Health Apps: An Effective Option for Affordable Therapy?
What do you do if you can not afford treatment but are Fighting to take care of your mental illness? You can download an app. In recent decades, there has been a proliferation of mental health programs accessible to smartphone users. These reasonably-priced, or most frequently free, mental health programs provide a wealth of resources that produce therapeutic techniques more accessible, portable, and cost-effective.
Within minutes, you can download and find many apps That include proven techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), and address everything from depression to eating disorder recovery, stress, PTSD, obsessive-compulsive disease, and more.
Even though the vast majority of those apps Don't Have Peer-reviewed research to support their claims, health experts predict they will play a significant role in the future of mental health care by offering innovative solutions for the self-management of mental health disorders. Some researchers are focusing on guidelines for mental health apps. Meanwhile, the American Psychiatric Association has developed a program rating system to assist psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, psychotherapists, and other mental health clinicians in evaluating mobile and internet apps' effectiveness and risks.
To be clear, the American Psychiatric Association does not Explicitly rate mobile health programs for their members. Their program evaluation model gives professionals a means to make informed decisions when considering whether a program works for them and their patients. The system provides feedback about the program in safety/privacy, scientific evidence supporting efficacy, easy use, and interoperability (the app's ability to allow downloading/sharing of the information for different interpretation).
Will Mental Health Apps Be the End of Therapy?
Some psychiatrists believe that mental health programs can reach those who would otherwise not help eliminate treatment obstacles. Another part of the allure of smartphone-based programs is their anonymity.
What kind of mental health program may be of real value to people struggling with mental health challenges? The perfect apps will have mental health professionals on board, prepared to answer questions, and a 24/7 service hotline for more severe cases. For example, this app from Singapore called caraunmask claimed to Have anonymous and secure conversations with peer and counseling support anytime, anywhere.
However, other mental health professionals question the effectiveness of mental health programs when used in isolation. Some psychologists who have employed many different mental health programs with patients find they are a unique way to help individuals stay connected out of sessions into the work they're doing in treatment. Still, it is critical of the use as a substitute or replacement for conventional therapy.
Ideally, these new electronic tools could be used as a Supplementary treatment to conventional therapy. Mental health programs provide valuable support and advice for people who cannot get assistance from a mental health professional.
If you lack the resources or time or want some Additional help in addressing mental health needs, you should try some of the app available in your language