Table Strategies used in apps to address mental health concerns – Approach Strategies Examples Relaxation Guided audio recordings Hypnosis, meditation, (30/61 or 49%) mindfulness, guided breathing Distraction Flash cards ‘Soothing colours’ Music for anxiety Eye Movement Desensitisation ‘Treatment’ Reprocessing (EMDR) Hypnosis Mindfulness Diaphragmatic breathing negative Exercises CBT, DBT and/or ACT ‘Overcoming’ thoughts and feelings exercises* (24/61 or 39%) ‘Brain-training’ Positive psychology exercises Journaling/worry boxes Thought challenges Goal setting Tracking positive experiences Gamification control of a snake as you “Take seek out food” (distraction technique) “Complete Quests, activate PowerUps and battle Bad Guys each day” Track, share and Self-assessment, Diagnostic questionnaires compare (13/61 or 21%) Traffic light system to grade mood Graph of anxiety level over time Log of symptoms Compare To ‘normal’ To ‘population data’ To other anonymous users To self over time Share With social media Support network Clinicians User communities (anonymous) *CBT = Cognitive Behavioural Therapy; DBT = Dialectical Behaviour Therapy; ACT = Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Developer claims to easily and rapidly improve consumer mental health were not supported by evidence, and were undermined by disclaimers. Developers frequently claimed that consumers could easily and rapidly achieve mental health and wellbeing through use of their products. For example, Mark Grant, a psychologist and the developer of Anxiety Release based on EMDR (short for Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing), advertises that consumers can “release anxious thoughts and feelings naturally, by harnessing the power of your brain,” explaining that this is easy:
Table – Strategies used in apps to address mental health concerns Approach Strategies Examples Relaxation (30/61 or 49%) Guided audio recordings Hypnosis, meditation, mindfulness, guided breathing Distraction Flash cards ‘Soothing colours’ Music ‘Treatment’ for anxiety Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR) Hypnosis Mindfulness Diaphragmatic breathing ‘Overcoming’ negative thoughts and feelings (24/61 or 39%) Exercises CBT, DBT and/or ACT exercises* ‘Brain-training’ Positive psychology exercises Journaling/worry boxes Thought challenges Goal setting Tracking positive experiences Gamification “Take control of a snake as you seek out food” (distraction technique) “Complete Quests, activate PowerUps and battle Bad Guys each day” Track, share and compare (13/61 or 21%) Self-assessment, Diagnostic questionnaires Traffic light system to grade mood Graph of anxiety level over time Log of symptoms Compare To ‘normal’ To ‘population data’ To other anonymous users To self over time Share With social media Support network Clinicians User communities (anonymous) *CBT = Cognitive Behavioural Therapy; DBT = Dialectical Behaviour Therapy; ACT = Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Developer claims to easily and rapidly improve consumer mental health were not supported by evidence, and were undermined by disclaimers. Developers frequently claimed that consumers could easily and rapidly achieve mental health and wellbeing through use of their products. For example, Mark Grant, a psychologist and the developer of Anxiety Release based on EMDR (short for Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing), advertises that consumers can “release anxious thoughts and feelings naturally, by harnessing the power of your brain,” explaining that this is easy:
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