5 Apps for Managing Mental Health

Taking care of your mental well-being in the digital age.

• Mental illnesses affect over 792 million people worldwide.

• Apps are being developed to tackle different forms of mental illnesses.

• The rise of mental health apps is combating issues faced by traditional therapy.

Even before its conception in 1883, mental health has always been an inherent part of human life, and just like our physical body’s health, mental health has to constantly be kept in good condition.

Mental disorders, being plural, come in different names, shapes, forms—sometimes even unnoticeable to the naked eye—and affects an estimate of over 792 million people worldwide.

A statistic done recently by the Ministry of Health (MoH)  Brunei found that an average of 7,000 Bruneians seek mental health-related treatments, every month.

As awareness on mental illnesses continues to grow, so do the research and measures to cope with them. In September this year at the ‘Teens in AI Brunei hackathon’, a mental health mobile app ‘Mindspace’, which combines AI, music and meditation to cope with stress, won first place. Another mental health app ‘Venture Balmy’ took second place, which centres around the uses of AI involving journal entries to assess one’s mental state. This shows that even Bruneian teens are attentive to the issues surrounding mental health and realise the importance of maintaining a healthy state of mind, which can be made easier by today’s technology.

Teens in AI Brunei hackathon saw a surprising win from Mindspace, a mobile application centred around the uses of AI in keeping journal entries of one’s mental state.

The blooming industry of telehealth has brought forward the rise of a new market of mobile mental health applications that intersect the line between technology and mental well-being.

A clearer peace of mind is just a tap away.

Here Are Apps You Can Try If You’ve Been:

Feeling Overwhelmed

MoodMission

Dealing with stress can be a very muddled and burdensome journey. Our first recommended app MoodMission, can help you learn ways to cope with different levels of stress by setting tailor-made ‘missions’.

New users of the app will be greeted with a list of options that’ll identify the level of emotional distress. After completing the introduction, the app will propose a set of missions that act as voluntary activities/exercises for users to practice simple mood boosting methods.

The app is free to download from the Google Play Store and App Store.

Looking for Peace

Headspace

Getting into meditating can often be a very intimidating first step, but with an open mind and practice, meditation can have an alleviating effect for anxiety, stress, and even sleep.

Headspace is a mobile app that takes on the role of the mentor for meditations. Offering a daily list of accessible options for all levels: from 2-3 minute guided meditations, to masterfully mixed audio cues for a sound sleep, all tied together with simplistic animations that demonstrates the processes as clearly as possible.

Access to Headspace costs USD $12.99/month with a free 7 day trial, or USD $69.99/year with a free 14 day trial!

Wanting to Get Into A Better Mood

Moodfit 

One of the more popular mental health managing apps out in the mobile market, Moodfit helps users better understand what they’re feeling, and assists them in lifting up their spirits, and their moods.

When first launching the app, users will have to take a questionnaire that will allow the app to better understand the user’s predicament. From then on, users will have access to articles fitted to help, and a whole range of individualised features that will let users customise how they want to improve.

The reason for Moodfit’s widespread popularity isn’t just for its qualities — you can also get it for free on the Google Play Store and App Store!

Searching for Professional Help

When it comes to sourcing for a professional’s help on mental illnesses, referrals would lead to clinical therapists. But alas, not everyone may have the time or the resources to seek them out. That’s why there are mobile apps or online counselling platforms out there that can act as a bridge between professionals and patients, with the added features of practicality and leniency.

BetterHelp 

A renowned app in the online counselling market, BetterHelp is known for diagnosing and treating an array of mental health complications with a large group of professional therapists.

BetterHelp prides itself in providing a clean and simple signing-up process, on both desktop and mobile platforms. BetterHelp’s basic plan allows users to have 30-50 minutes of live sessions with therapists.

Compared to the rest of this list, and with good reason, BetterHelp’s price is steeper, with USD $80 a week with unlimited text, video, audio, messaging, and a weekly live session.

Talkspace

Talkspace is another app built with the same purpose as BetterHelp, but chooses a different approach.

The app’s modus operandi is essentially similar to BetterHelp, but Talkspace has a more interactive process for registrations. Instead of the conventional way, Talkspace has a live chat box controlled by a therapist that assists users with signing up.

One thing to keep in mind is that Talkspace’s standard plan does not have live video sessions, with only a default choice of live messaging therapists with allocated schedules.

Talkspace’s ‘standard’ Therapy Plus plan costs USD $260/month, or for access to live video sessions, the app’s Therapy Ultimate package costs USD $396.

You’ve reached the end of our top picks of mental health apps! This list stands to show that no matter how robust current industries stand, there will always be room for technological improvements!

But, that opens up a question.

Will Demand for Mental Health Apps Overtake Traditional Therapy?

The short answer is ‘no’, and that is because mental health apps—and its equivalents—are an extension to the industry.

Mental health apps hold the potential to reach groups that otherwise have no means of having traditional therapy, while also encouraging the larger consensus into bettering their mental health, with the added feature of anonymity.

Yet, clinical therapy still holds the torch when it comes to improving mental health as it has the aspect of close proximity and vulnerability with patient-doctor sessions; opening up not just emotionally, but also doors to unconscious issues.

Mental health is a serious issue that, in recent times, has been given a lot of attention. Brunei also has a National Mental Health Hotline, Talian Harapan *145* (TH145) where trained counsellors are ready to assist, as well as mental health services offered by MoH from Psychology to specialist clinics.

Bah, here’s to a stress-free future!