Can Mobile Phone Apps Improve Your Mental Health?

A meta-review published in January 2022 investigated the effectiveness of mobile phone-based interventions for mental health symptoms, including:

The review included the results of 14 meta-analyses involving 47,940 participants in 145 randomized controlled trials. The authors looked at a wide range of mobile phone-based interventions, such as:

Virtual therapy visits with mental health professionals were not part of the study.

Based on the data analyzed, the researchers found no convincing evidence that mobile phone-based interventions effectively treated people’s symptoms.

However, the results showed “highly suggestive evidence” that mobile phone-based interventions had the potential to improve anxiety, depression and stress. They also suggested that text-based interventions could help people quit smoking. The researchers recommended that more research be done to explore these pathways.

Simon B. GoldbergPhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the study’s lead author, said that while previous research suggests some benefit to smartphone-based interventions, the therapeutic alliance between client and counselor is still advantageous for overall effectiveness.

“I suspect that humans simply respond more strongly to interpersonal influences from living humans than to fully or partially automated technology,” Goldberg told Psych Central.

“The person-to-person connection is particularly powerful, especially when dealing with mental health issues.”

As the technology for smartphone-based interventions continues to develop, Goldberg said the methods could produce better results. For example, machine learning-based algorithms could personalize content to tailor an individual’s therapeutic experience.

“It’s also possible that these interventions are modestly effective on average,” Goldberg said, adding that some interventions, such as CBT-based on applications, they can be more effective than others.

“That still allows for the potential for some people to benefit a lot (while others benefit very little), as well as the potential for technologies to be a useful first line of care or prevention.”

C. Vaile WrightPhD, Senior Director of Healthcare Innovation at the APA, said one of the biggest challenges in the field of mental health apps is the lack of standardization and regulation, including rigorous research, testing and examination.

As such, some critics have referred to the mental health app industry as the “wild west therapy.”

“As a consumer, it can be really hard to figure out what’s good and what’s not, and then what’s effective and what’s not,” Wright said by phone.

Many mental health apps are not rooted in psychological science, and some spread misinformation about mental health or lead to adverse outcomes.

According to Wright, potential risks associated with mental health apps can include anything from increased symptomatology to disinterest in the therapeutic process.

“That would probably be our main concern, not that it doesn’t help at all, but that it actually hurts,” Wright said.

Goldberg’s study notes that mobile phone-based interventions could be considered a cost-effective way to reduce mental health symptoms and help people quit smoking.

He also notes that more research is needed on how effective these interventions can be for today’s digitally driven youth.

According to Wright, mental health apps may be more helpful to “digital natives,” such as youth and teens, compared to some adults. She said that other groups that are less likely to seek traditional therapies, such as men, may also benefit.

“Similarly, for the folks at Communities of Color, this could be an intervention that ties some of that health equity gapWright added. “But I don’t think we know yet.”

Other advantages

With mental illness that affects tens of millions in the United States each year, mental health apps have the potential to reach larger populations than traditional psychotherapy.

Wright said that even before the pandemic, the field of mental health care was facing a labor shortage, resulting in a high level of unmet need for mental health interventions.

“We have to think more innovatively about how we’re going to approach our nation’s public health, and I think technology is a clear path for us to do that because it’s more accessible; because it can be more affordable,” he said.

As a recent APA article notes, mental health apps can also bring more people into therapy.

Wright said mental health apps could help, too remove barriers related to stigma since you can use them with a certain degree of anonymity, compared to a visit to a psychotherapist’s office.

It is important to note that mental health apps are not intended to be a substitute for talking to a therapist or receiving medical treatment. Some people use both together, and 2020 investigation suggests that mental health applications can improve the therapeutic process face to face with a professional.

Wright said that as a consumer, it’s a good idea to do your research before trying mental health apps. websites like PsyberGuide of a Mind Rate and rate different mental health apps to give you more information than just relying on star ratings in the app store.

You may also want to find out how a mental health app will use your data, and whether it is being sold or protected.

“The wellness app space is an unregulated area,” Wright said. “This means no one is telling them they have to protect their private health information from hackers, so it’s very important that consumers read the fine print.”

Despite the volume of research that exists, therapy apps and other text-based technologies are still relatively new and are constantly being refined.

While the overall effectiveness of these technologies for mental health conditions remains questionable, there are also consistent evidence which may provide a modest benefit.

“This could still have a major public health impact, even if a portion of users need more intensive intervention to benefit,” Goldberg said.