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Today, mobile phones and tablets accompany us from the first minutes of waking up to the last seconds before going to bed. Psychologists and psychotherapists have decided to use new technologies to help us cope with the unpleasant symptoms of common mental and psychological ailments. We have compiled a list of ten popular applications, and also asked experts what they think about “mobile” medicine.
1. “Anti-Panic”
Application for those who suffer from panic attacks. In four sections, you can learn about what is PA, what physiological symptoms accompany it, and also understand how to deal with panic during an attack.
A panic attack is accompanied by various fears: go crazy, lose control of yourself, get a heart attack, die. In the “Cards” section, the user can indicate their fears, and then get an explanation for each of them. It is important for someone who suffers from panic attacks to understand that all his fears are groundless. Every fear is disproved with real scientific evidence. For example, the user learns that no panic attack can cause a heart attack, nor can it lead to the development of schizophrenia.
The most useful sections of the application can be considered the third and fourth, which describe breathing techniques for relieving anxiety, as well as techniques for fixing not on one’s own feelings, but on external factors. In addition, the application has the ability to contact psychologists and ask for help.
AntiPanic was created under the guidance of psychologists from the Institute of Creative Psychology, with the support of the Mental Health Union. The application is free, available for и .
2.7Cups
The application to some extent embodies a fairly common idea of telemedicine. With its help, a person in a depressed state can contact a professional psychologist or a non-professional who is ready to listen to his problems.
First, the user selects from the list the problem that is the source of his ailment: anxiety, depression, insomnia, and so on. The next step is to choose with whom to communicate: with a lay listener or with a psychotherapist. The system is looking for someone who could listen to the user. The search usually takes several minutes. The communication itself takes place in a chat, there is also the possibility of interaction in groups.
In addition to chat, 7Cups also offers other services: for example, educational videos for dealing with anxiety and depression, a feed of positive thoughts and statements, and audio lessons with breathing techniques. The user can not only accept help, but also listen to someone who needs support at a difficult moment.
It is no coincidence that the application is called 7Cups: with this, the developers wanted to emphasize the process of personal development that occurs after each “drinking a cup of coffee or tea with an interlocutor” (non-professional or psychotherapist).
Most of the application’s functions are available for free, but there are also paid psychological programs. For example, a special psychological course for dealing with anxiety will cost $7 per month with an annual subscription.
The app is available for so for .
3.Unwind HD
An application for those who want to relieve anxiety, fall asleep to relaxing sounds or start meditating. In Unwind HD, you can choose different recordings: the sound of thunderstorms, rain, the tide, the singing of cicadas, the crackling of logs on fire.
Each sound is accompanied by a soothing moving picture in HD quality. You can set a timer, and the application will turn off after a certain time. You can also combine picture and sound as you wish, or import melodies from your own library.
The application is only available to users . The limited version is distributed free of charge. The paid version has more functionality and no ads.
4.Pranayama
Pranayama breathing practices help regulate breathing. The word itself comes from yoga and is translated as “breath control”.
The creators of the Pranayama app claim that 15-minute exercises will help get rid of a headache, fall asleep easier, increase vitality, and also lift your mood.
The application shows the exercises in the form of colorful animations. On the screen of the gadget, you can configure the sound mode that is most suitable for the user. You can also take a special course of breathing practice from beginner to advanced level.
The application is available for free in versions for и .
5.Moodtools
As the developers of the application explain, every person feels sad at some point, but it is important to understand when the state of apathy and depression becomes so strong that it changes everyday life beyond recognition, in this case we can talk about depression.
The appendix defines what depression is and what symptoms accompany it, what types of depression exist, what can cause this ailment, and what treatments are used in modern practice. In essence, Moodtools is a guide to useful information about depression. Also in a separate section there are links to useful resources.
One of the disadvantages of the application is that the information is presented only in the form of text, the multimedia capabilities of the smartphone are not used. Also, it is only available in English. There are versions for и .
6.Sleep better
The application allows you to fight insomnia in several ways. Firstly, it is possible to track sleep phases and use a “smart alarm clock” that will wake you up at the right time. Secondly, with the help of the Sleep well function, the user learns how physical activity, caffeine, late meals, moon phases and other aspects affect sleep. You can also add notes about your dreams and analyze them later.
The app can work offline. You need to put the gadget next to the bed so that it is at hand, and enter sleep periods and wake-up times into the system. You can also record pleasant or terrible dreams. The system will analyze the data and provide statistics on the characteristics of the user’s sleep.
The application is available in Russian. It can be downloaded for free, there is also an extended paid version. Available for .
7.ZenMixer
For beginners who have never meditated but would like to start, ZenMixer offers a set of basic exercises.
The program is designed for a week. Every day, a pleasant female voice gives instructions for conducting meditation sessions. In addition, it is possible to listen to soothing sounds and watch relaxing images. Each session is approximately 10-15 minutes long. Additional subscription meditation programs are aimed at reducing stress levels, combating insomnia. There are also sessions to reduce anxiety, increase motivation, improve relationships with loved ones, and so on.
The application is only available in English and only for .
8.The FIVE
We often try to build relationships with others, while not knowing ourselves well. The Five application is based on the tests of famous American scientists Cattell and Eysenck.
The application allows you to quickly find out the strengths and weaknesses of the user, determine the temperament, and get a forecast of its development in the future. The results are presented in the form of colorful infographics. The test can be used before getting a job, entering a university, or at the time of making important life decisions. Test results can be shared on social networks. The application is available in Russian and is distributed free of charge. At the moment, only the version for .
9.SkyGuru
Application for those who suffer from aerophobia. It works in airplane mode and tells the person in detail what happens in flight. For example, the passenger receives information about when turbulence can be expected and whether shaking on board is to be feared.
During the flight, the application “talks” to the user, so that he has a feeling of security, constant communication with a psychotherapist, albeit a virtual one. As Aleksey Gervash, the creator of SkyGuru, explains, his invention provides information about the flight, and thus scary pictures are replaced by facts in the human mind.
After installing the application, you must enter the number of the upcoming flight. The SkyGuru algorithm analyzes the last 8 flights on this route, and also correlates the received information with the current meteorological situation. The result is a rough plan of how the flight will go. Developers have to buy all information about flights and up-to-date weather reports.
As its creator explains, this is why the application is quite expensive – 750 rubles. Currently only a version for .
10.PHQ-9 depression test
The PHQ-9 test is used in psychology and psychotherapy to determine if a person is suffering from depression, and if so, how severe it is. The test was developed by the American psychiatrist Robert Spitzer many decades ago and is still popular today.
The developers of the application decided to create a mobile application based on the test so that everyone could answer a series of questions and determine their condition. PHQ-9 consists of 9 questions, including lack of interest in current events, loss of appetite, and so on. Each question is accompanied by four possible answers. The system counts the responses and gives the result: the absence of depression or its presence in a mild, moderate, moderately severe or severe form. Also at the end, a recommendation is given what to do to the patient in the presence of one form or another of depression.
The application can be downloaded for free in the version for or .
Opinions of psychologists
John Thorous, psychiatrist at Beth Israel Medical Center, editor of the Psychiatric Times
The number of applications aimed at determining and improving the state of human mental health is incredibly large: about 5000. In most cases, the claims made by the developers of such programs are not verified: there is no evidence that these applications are effective. Although someone they really can benefit.
Applications cannot replace specialists. It would be right to treat them as new tools: so the stethoscope, for example, has become a tool that allows doctors and patients to gain new knowledge, information. As such, apps can enhance patient care, but not replace it.
Helping users capture symptoms and information about their condition, and then provide this data to a specialist so that he, after analyzing it, selects a treatment, I see a possible positive use of applications in this.
Ksenia Korenyak, psychoanalytic psychotherapist
Mobile applications of this type act like a pill that can be taken during the acute phase of the disease, but you should not pin hopes on them for recovery.
Of course, they can help manage some of the symptoms. For example, during a panic attack or in a state of acute anxiety, a person feels isolated, believing that no one can help him. Thanks to some applications, the user gets the impression that a real person is talking to him, supporting him. Certainly it helps. In the case of aerophobia, an app that talks about what happens to the plane during the flight is really useful, as it eliminates the element of the unknown, which frightens the aerophobe the most.
So applications are a kind of “ambulance”. Psychotherapy, on the other hand, is aimed at forming a person’s inner core, which helps him cope with difficult life situations even after the end of the sessions. This is a long process. In the case of the application of such a mechanism in the human psyche does not arise. Therefore, I would, of course, advise you to combine applications and work with a psychotherapist.