Mental Health Apps

Mental health apps can be effective in making therapy more accessible, efficient, and portable. On this page is a selection of mental health apps which have been independently reviewed by PsyberGuide, a Project of One Mind. ADAA is excited to be partnering with PsyberGuide to share reviewed anxiety, depression and related apps that might be of interest to our community. PsyberGuide (PsyberGuide.org) is a non-profit project that aims to help people to use technology to live a mentally healthier life. PsyberGuide provides reviews of apps and other digital tools for mental health. PsyberGuide is funded by One Mind, and operates University of California, Irvine and at Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University.

The apps here are not endorsed or necessarily recommended by ADAA. Here we highlight a broad selection of interesting apps which are publicly available. No one app will work for everyone, and it’s important to find the app that’s right for you.

Check out our Coronavirus Resource page for more resources from PsyberGuide

Specially Selected Apps for ADAA:

Tactical Breather
Thought Challenger
Virtual Hope Box
Woebot

Apps are reviewed on three metrics: Credibility, User Experience, and Data Transparency.

Credibility:

The Credibility Score is a measure of the research support and clinical expertise backing an app or digital tool. This measure aims to give users an idea of how likely it is that it will work and lead to mental health benefits.
Apps are scored based on the level of research support they have, the level of expert clinical input in their development, and how specific the intervention the app proposes is.

User Experience:

“User Experience”, sometimes referred to as just UX, is the overall experience of using an app in terms of how easy and engaging it is to use.
The Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) is used to assess the quality of the user experience of apps on engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information.

Data Transparency:

Transparency scores relate to information regarding an apps’ data storage and collection policies and how readily available this information is to users. We believe that developers should be as transparent as possible with privacy information so that users can be fully informed of how their data is used and stored.

More information on these rating scales can be found on the PsyberGuide website

App Developers:

Interested in advertising your app on this page? Please email: Lise Bram
Interested in being reviewed by PsyberGuide? Please email: Martha Neary

App Developers:

Interested in advertising your app on this page? Please email: Lise Bram.
Interested in being reviewed by PsyberGuide? Please email: Martha Neary.

Disclaimer: ADAA does not recommend or endorse any clinicians, counselors, psychiatrists, social workers, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the website. Reliance on any information provided by ADAA, ADAA employees, others appearing on the website at the invitation of ADAA, or other visitors to the website is solely at your own risk.