Therapy in Your Pocket – Apps and the Treatment of Mental Illness

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety is the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting 18 percent of the population. Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only about one-third of sufferers seek treatment for their anxiety.[1] It’s no secret that anxiety disorders can wreak havoc on both a sufferer’s overall health and finances.

In a stressed and fast-paced technological world, we have the advantage of being able to utilize our ever-present mobile devices to aid our progress in recovery from mental illness. Mobile medical applications geared toward those suffering from anxiety and other mental health issues are becoming increasingly popular. It’s no wonder that more and more of us are turning to our smartphones and tablets to help facilitate recovery from anxiety disorders. While mobile applications cannot replace visiting a mental health professional, many medical apps can help people who are on-the-go recenter themselves and face everyday anxiety triggers.

Some mobile apps are focused toward relaxation and affirmations. These applications are highly beneficial in reducing anxiety because users can listen to calming music, read inspiring quotes, or practice relaxation techniques. Other apps challenge anxiety sufferers to grow by using principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). These applications can help guide users into facing their fears and overcoming them in a process known to psychologists as exposure and response prevention therapy, which is a subset of CBT. By providing a list of tasks to complete that may evoke mild anxiety in a person, the cognitive behavioral therapy apps attempt to force users into a stressful situation to show them that even though the situation may not go as planned, they can handle it with poise. iPhone® apps, iPad® apps, Android™ tablet apps, and Android™ smartphone apps that focus on cognitive behavioral therapy to help treat anxiety disorders have a high return on investment (ROI) for the user because he or she can use a smartphone or tablet, a device that is probably already used daily, to break the cycle of avoiding certain situations. The user can work toward overcoming anxiety and in turn take strides toward becoming a healthier person.[2]

Mobile health apps are useful at helping to alleviate anxiety but cannot always get close to treating a disorder. Using a medical application focused on reducing anxiety is a perfect way to supplement further treatment because using the app will help people feel comfortable taking steps toward treating anxiety disorders in a world where treatment is not always widely accepted. Additionally, someone with an anxiety disorder can now utilize the interactive, multimedia technologies of a mobile computing device as yet another tool to rely upon in her or his continued daily efforts in recovery. Overall, mobile health apps aimed at reducing anxiety offer cost-effective, private, and convenient ways to tackle stress in everyday lives.

If you are interested in creating a mobile health application that will improve the lives of millions of Americans by helping to reduce anxiety, contact a universal app developer. DDA Apps™, a full-service division of Dynamic Digital Advertising, LLC, is a universal app developer with a team of experienced programmers, graphic designers, copywriters, videographers, animators, and illustrators. DDA Apps has a long history of creating medical mobile applications for a variety of medical clients. Contact DDA Apps today to get started on creating an effective and user-friendly mobile application that will be developed with intuitive features to help millions of Americans have a better quality of life.

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Photo Credit: Microsoft Office Clipart