Originally by Henna Patel on June 3, 2018
We are amid an era where infinite data points are captured on our online behaviours. From biometrics, shopping patterns and search preferences to friendships, political affiliations and media consumption (to name just a few) — arguably our online behaviours often lead the charge on our real world actions. So seeing an upsurge in online communites, apps and tools to help those who battle mental health is a positive trend. By enabling people to self-track emotional and psychological data points, the initial barrier to seeking help can be reduced. This is especially beneficial for people who feel tentative in talking to a professional directly for a host of reasons (cultural barriers, gender stigmas, lack of awareness, denial, embarrasement). By providing ways to track; moods, stress levels, anxiety inducers, minduflness — these new avenues democratize the initial steps toward vital mental health. I am listing several apps here. While I don’t have experience with each and every one, for those who are interested, you will see the breadth of approaches taken and populations targeted and needs served:
- Happify
- Mood Mission
- Catch It
- What’s up
- Lantern Health
- Daylio
- Moodkit
- Positive Thinking
- Pacifica for Stress
- Chill Panda
This topic of mental health is significant to our current culture. With the world going into lockdown for months, I feel that we will see the repercussions of the pandemic in society’s mental health for a while. The stigma around mental health creates invisible walls around people. During February, there has been a big push for “Let’s Talk” movements on social media. I think it is a benefit to continue the discussion past February. I searched all of the apps on the list, and the top three in terms of the highest downloads are Daylio (5 million), Happify (500 thousand) and Mood Mission (100 thousand). Many of the apps on this list no longer exist. While searching the topic, I can see that there are hundreds, if not thousands, more apps that focus on mental health and mindfulness.
I believe mental health should be included in the current curriculum, and these tools can support everyone. Even though I was disappointed with the list as a whole, I believe the topic should be looked into further, and everyone should be prepared to support each other amidst the anxiety of returning to work and school.