As we navigate the uncharted territory of mental wellness apps, it's akin to the Wild West of therapy. With a plethora of options, it's crucial to discern the effective from the ineffective, the safe from the potentially harmful.
Digital therapy is here to stay
Apps can provide many things that traditional therapy often cannot
- They are usually cheaper and they don’t require a commute to an office
- Some studies suggest that select applications can be effective treatments for mental illness
- Experts are concerned about the rapidly growing and unregulated market for these apps
The Psyber Boom
The market for mental health applications (also known as “mHealth”) has grown at a shocking pace
- There are approximately 10,000 to 20,000 mental health apps available, according to the American Psychological Association
- Over the past year, Americans have only become more receptive to the idea of using technology to care for their health
- Despite the mHealth apps’ newly found popularity and ubiquity, not all mental healthcare providers are onboard with their use
- A body of work published since 2017 suggests that these apps work best when combined with in-person therapy
“The Wild West” of digital health apps
Technically, mHealth apps are considered medical devices by the FDA, but in general, app developers can make treatment claims without going through the FDA
- The sheer volume of applications and limited capacity of the FDA means that many apps make unsubstantiated claims and get away with it
- In a review of 52 apps for anxiety, an international team of psychologists found that sixty-seven percent had been developed without any guidance from a healthcare professional
- Only zero contained any content consistent with evidence-based treatments
- Data privacy is a concern because many apps collect sensitive mental-health data to sell for ad-revenue
- Ultimately, marketplaces could require their development to be licensed by the government and vetting of developers would eliminate the need for app stores and create a barrier to entry
