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The impact of using digital mental health apps.

The COVID-19 crisis has uncovered an enduring mental health epidemic globally.

New ethical questions about the safety, efficacy, equity, and sustainability of digital mental healthcare – online and through apps – are being raised around the world, and businesses are being held to account over their creation and endorsement of services.

Over 10,000 mental health apps are currently on the market, yet regulations do not fully protect against the sharing of sensitive consumer data or ensure a standard quality of, for example, chatbot psychologists. Telehealth has contributed to solving the paucity of mental health providers.  This was even more apparent during the COVID pandemic. The pandemic fueled a large uptake in the use of telehealth during the necessity of social distancing. 

Not only is telehealth used for telemedicine there are also numerous mental health apps available for patients.

Best overall: Moodkit

Best for therapy: Talkspace

Best for meditation: Headspace

Best for suicide awareness: Better Stop Suicide

Best for stress: iBreathe

Best for anxiety: MindShift CBT

Best for addiction: Quit That!

Best for boosting your mood: Happify

Best for eating disorders: Recovery Record

Best for OCD: NOCD

Best for sleep: Calm

Best for drinking less alcohol: Reframe

Best for quitting alcohol: I Am Sober

Mental Health the Trillion Dollar Challenge (Spotify)

What’s the challenge?

Between a quarter and half of the global population is affected by a mental disorder at some point in their life. Between 2011 and 2030, the cumulative economic output loss associated with mental disorders is projected to be $16.3 trillion worldwide.

Disruptive technologies – such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, digital reality, blockchain, and the cloud – are ushering in a new era for consumers, industries, and organizations. There are more than 10,000 mental health apps in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store alone. Many of these 10,000 apps are not currently evidence-based, placing users at significant risk in some cases. Deloitte analyzed 190 global high-traction use cases for the toolkit, revealing 89% of the apps are not clinically validated.

Web 3.0, Virtual Reality, and the Metaverse will also contribute to new online therapies.

Online platforms have the potential to engage patients in a patient-centric manner.

Meditation Virtual Reality

Try Healium

The uptick in VR meditation parallels an avalanche of smartphone apps for mental health, which total about 20,000. VR is more immersive than smartphones and, some say, can enable feelings of awe, relaxation, mindfulness, and connection with fellow meditators— or their avatars, at least

Protecting users of digital mental health apps | World Economic Forum