Coping with depression can be difficult, but it is reassuring to know that you are not alone, as depression is a prevalent mental health condition globally. While mobile apps cannot replace medical treatment or therapy, they can be useful tools in reducing stress levels and alleviating symptoms of depression. Nevertheless, with the multitude of apps available, finding the most suitable one can be a daunting task. Therefore, this article compiles a list of the top mobile apps to help you better manage your depression symptoms, and these app features range from skills-based support to sleep-inducing stories and even games.
Depression can make life feel like you are sinking into quicksand with no escape. It can be a weighty state of mind, and if left unchecked, it may persist and adversely impact your overall well-being.
However, the good news is that depression is treatable. The initial step is to seek assistance from a mental health expert. Along with therapy, certain helpful applications are available that can uplift your mood and link you with a trained professional for virtual counseling.
The advantages of meditation have been proven to improve mental health and overall quality of life. With that in mind, Mesmerize capitalizes on these benefits to provide an exclusive meditation experience to users, incorporating engaging visuals, calming music, and expertly crafted guided meditations to alleviate stress and reduce anxiety.
With more than one million downloads and ten thousand positive reviews, Mesmerize utilizes scientifically-proven approaches to calm the nervous system and relax the mind. This thereby presents a complementing solution to the conventional treatments that are made available to patients.
Mesmerize offers various modes and features to help users cope with the demands of daily life. The engaging visuals, ranging from serene to psychedelic, aid in freeing the mind of uninvited and racing thoughts. In addition, the pleasing psycho-acoustic music is intended to induce a deep state of tranquillity. Other than that, a visual breathing mode is also available, which assists users in focusing on breathing for meditation purposes.
The meditation sessions provided range from one minute to 30 minutes, including short affirmations and comprehensive guided narratives. These offer an easy-to-follow experience for both novice and experienced meditators alike. With that, by downloading the app from the App Store or Google Play, users can enjoy a free three-day trial of Mesmerize.
Sanvello is an app designed by professionals to help individuals cope with various emotional struggles, whether it be anxiety, loneliness, feeling overwhelmed, or burnt out. Essentially, it acts as a toolkit for users, with features like therapy, coaching, meditations, coping techniques, as well as goal and mood tracking. In addition, the app allows users to track their emotions and progress over time, and as patterns are identified, Sanvello provides customized tools based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles to guide individuals to feel better.
Should this interest you, the app is free to download and use. However, the premium version offers unlimited access to all tools and can be obtained through an auto-renewing subscription.
Headspace, which was founded in 2010 by a former Buddhist monk turned event planner, is an app that offers a variety of meditations for beginners and advanced meditators. Its user-friendly interface enables users to establish meditation goals and monitor their progress. Besides that, with the aim of making guided meditations available to people anytime and anywhere, Headspace has evolved to include additional features like articles, animations, and videos.
Calm is often regarded as one of the top apps for sleep, thanks to its collection of sleep stories narrated by well-known voices like Matthew McConaughey, Ariana Grande, Idris Elba, and Kate Winslet. All in all, the app offers a diverse selection of story styles ranging from fairy tales to Shakespeare Sonnets and even provides short nap sessions if you need a mid-day forty winks. In addition to the sleep stories, the app includes over 200 calming nature sounds, landscapes, and music to help you relax. What's more, the Calm app lets you record and monitor your moods.
Short for "You"+"Super," Youper is an app designed by doctors and therapists to help people with depression and anxiety take charge of their own mental health using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques.
To keep it simple, the app utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) technology to provide users with daily therapeutic exercise recommendations and 24/7 AI therapy chat for emotional support. By gathering user data, Youper improves its services by asking a series of questions to determine a user's mood and feelings, then provides exercises that would work best for that moment.
What's Up? is an app that combines cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance commitment therapy to provide dozens of coping mechanisms. These mechanisms include grounding exercises, breathing techniques, and identifying distorted thought patterns such as black-and-white thinking and catastrophizing. In addition, the app offers a forum where users can connect and receive support from one another.
Sometimes, patients may not be able to reach their primary care physicians when they require mental health support. This is where the 7 Cups app comes in, an app established by a licensed psychologist called Glen Moriarty. This app provides a team of trained listeners available 24/7 and offers around 300 free mindfulness exercises, pleasant online videos, chat rooms, and forums.
To begin with, all active listeners must complete Moriarty's Active Listening program and pass the quiz with a perfect score to join the service. The program is completely private and anonymous. Patients can choose from a pool of more than 160,000 trained active listeners and licensed therapists, depending on their reviews and specialized areas, such as anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, LGBTQ issues, eating disorders, break-ups, or bullying.
Volunteer active listeners are available for consultation without charge. Users who wish to speak with licensed psychologists can do so by paying $12.99 monthly, $94.99 annually, or $399.99 for eternal unlimited access.
The MoodKit app is developed based on the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and offers a vast selection of more than 200 activities that can help improve one's mood. Created by two clinical psychologists, MoodKit assists users in acquiring the necessary skills to alter their thought processes, cultivate self-awareness, and build sustainable attitudes to life's challenges. One of the app's most noteworthy features is its journal, which allows individuals to practice self-care by reflecting on their day, recording any troubling thoughts, and detailing how they overcame them.
The Happify app is an effective tool for achieving a positive mood, thanks to its mood-training program approved by psychologists. By playing a range of fun games, engaging in suggested activities, and completing gratitude journaling prompts, the app helps users train their brains as if they were muscles to combat negative thoughts effectively.
MoodTools is an app designed to assist individuals suffering from clinical depression during their journey toward recovery. In essence, the app provides access to helpful videos that can have a positive impact on mood and behavior. On top of that, MoodTools utilizes the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to allow users to document and study their thought patterns. Besides that, the app also provides the option to create a suicide safety plan along with other helpful plans, and the good news – everything is available completely free of charge.
Wysa is a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence (AI) that can assist individuals in coping with challenging situations. Using CBT and meditation sessions, Wysa is an effective resource for managing issues such as stress, depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns.
The app stands out from others with its extensive library of self-care exercises that can aid users in sleeping better, managing their anger, and becoming more productive. For those who prefer a more personalized experience, Wysa provides the option to work with a dedicated therapist via live audio, video chats, or text sessions through the app. The app also includes an SOS button, which can help to soothe users during times of anxiety or panic attacks.
Bloom is an app that utilizes a set of questions to evaluate an individual's behavior and assigns a score based on their answers. The app then offers a range of activities, guided programs, and journaling to support users in improving their mental well-being, which is particularly beneficial for those struggling with anxiety or overwhelming stress.
To dive into the finer details, Bloom's guided programs incorporate self-care practices that focus on cultivating positive thinking patterns. Like other mental health apps, Bloom utilizes CBT techniques to enhance users' mental health, and the app's videos were designed by Seth Gilligan, a clinical therapist and author. Furthermore, the app's Explore section provides a selection of videos for relaxation purposes. Other than that, the app has a piece of calming background music to provide users with a peaceful browsing experience.
TalkLife is a community-oriented, peer-to-peer support app that links users with others undergoing similar experiences. Put simply, it is a valuable resource to have when you feel like nobody understands you and you need an empathetic ear.
You can post anonymously, venting about anything without the fear of judgment. Alternatively, if you prefer not to post, you can respond or react to other users' posts. Not to mention, you can find an "I Need Help" option that displays your local helpline numbers or connects you to them for immediate assistance. Moreover, the app also includes a wellness center with several self-care resources. On top of these features, the app provides an avenue for users to chat with others and share their feelings while maintaining anonymity, and hopefully, it may help them realize that they are not alone in what they are experiencing.
Amaha is an app that focuses on promoting self-care by providing activities that help users feel better. The app uses a self-assessment test to determine the user's needs and how they have been feeling in recent weeks and months.
Based on the results of the assessment, the app creates a personalized plan that includes daily activities to help the user manage feelings of anxiety and stress. Amaha employs mindfulness, positive psychology, and CBT to improve users' mental conditions, and its resources have been curated by experts to ensure it can effectively maximize its assistance. Plus, the app also features a goal and mood tracker that enables users to set goals and monitor their mood throughout the day, providing insights into their mental and emotional states. In addition, users can chat with an AI-powered chatbot or a therapist for support during difficult times.
The Depression CBT Self-Help Guide app is intended to assist individuals with depression in comprehending their mood and taking steps to feel better. It includes a screening test, informative articles, and audio content to help you learn more about your depression. What's more, the app also offers audio for relaxation and a journaling feature to aid you in monitoring your recovery journey.
Clear Fear is an app that is specifically designed for pre-teens, adolescents, and young adults to assist them in questioning their negative thoughts. It is an excellent app for depression, as it uses a number of exercises and practical resources to help users gain an understanding of their emotions and thoughts, as well as the most effective ways to take care of themselves. Furthermore, Clear Fear includes features such as a breathing tool as well as tips for managing panic attacks. With that in mind, the Clear Fear app is best used in conjunction with traditional therapy.
SuperBetter is an app developed by a game designer who dealt with depression. Basically, the app aims to boost resilience by utilizing the psychological strengths inherent in gaming. By playing in a virtual world, users learn how to overcome tough situations in real life.
The app is designed to help players unlock their inner strength and achieve their goals. Users face challenges in the app that mimic real-life situations, such as taking a single step or getting a drink of water. On that note, the SuperBetter app aims to assist in the development of resilience, which is the ability to remain positive, motivated, and strong during challenging periods.
Depression is a widespread mental illness, yet many individuals who experience it do not seek assistance. Thus, it is extremely critical, particularly in today's world, that we are motivated to investigate our choices.
Although digital solutions cannot substitute professional help, apps such as Mesmerize can be beneficial while waiting for a therapist or seeking additional support in between appointments. Utilizing various tools to manage depression symptoms can aid in getting through difficult moments or days and potentially enhance overall mood and energy levels.
Major depressive disorder, commonly known as depression, is a prevalent and severe medical condition that adversely affects the patient's emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. It results in feelings of sorrow and disinterest in activities that were once pleasurable. Depression can lead to various emotional and physical issues and can impair an individual's ability to work and perform daily tasks. Thankfully, though, depression is treatable.
Depression symptoms can range from mild to severe and may encompass feeling sad or experiencing a low mood, lack of interest or joy in previously enjoyed activities, alterations in appetite, increments or reduction in weight gain without dieting, sleeping problems (either excessive sleep or insomnia), decrease in energy or increased fatigue, unexplained physical activity (such as pacing, the inability to sit still, handwringing, or slowed movements or speech to the extent that they are severe enough to be observable by others), sensations of worthlessness or guilt, difficulty concentrating, thinking, or making decisions, as well as thoughts of committing suicide.
Depression does not have a single cause and can occur due to several reasons. Not to mention, different triggers affect different types of people. For some individuals, depression can be caused by a distressing or stressful life event like a divorce, bereavement, illness, redundancy, or financial worry. On the other hand, different causes can also interconnect to trigger depression. For instance, a person may feel low after being ill and then experience a traumatic event, such as a car accident, that triggers depression.