Can an app help make you get better? Perhaps, if you suffer from anxiety or depression.

Various therapies are available to treat a variety of conditions. These include one-on-one consultations with health professionals, medications and even e-therapy. These days another technological phenomenon, the mobile application (apps) is also available.

A smart phone is a multifunctional device that not only communicates, but helps to learn, earn and have fun. Today we can get an app for almost any topic in the world. This means that improving your mood could be just a download away. However, depression and anxiety are serious conditions. Men and women of any age are prone to these diseases. Being a sufferer means all areas of your life are affected – from your ability to perform at work to your relationships with friends and family.

There is no one proven way to recover from depression and anxiety. Whatever treatments are used, they are best done under the supervision of a GP or mental health professional. If you have taken the first step and enlisted the help of your GP or another health professional, there are additional things you might like to try to get your recovery underway. Just remember that recovery can take time and no two people recover at the same pace.

The following 10 apps are only a small sample of the best available free iPhone and Android apps for depression and anxiety.

Depression CBT Self-Help Guide (Android)
The app helps you understand the causes of depression. It also explains self-help behaviours you can adopt to reduce symptoms. Two important characteristics are a Cognitive Thought Diary to identify stressful thinking and respond with positive feedback and a feature that helps measure the severity of your depression.

MindShift (iPhone and Android)
This app teaches relaxation skills, develops new thinking and suggests healthy activities.

Positive Thinking (Android)
This app has a simple, uplifting quote or hopeful message that can brighten your day or improve your outlook.

BellyBio Interactive Breathing (iPhone)
This is an app that monitors your breathing and plays sounds reminiscent of ocean waves when you relax. It is great for anxiety and stress.

Depression Inventory (Android)
The app helps you keep your thoughts and feelings organised by completing a simple questionnaire. This helps you to evaluate your symptoms and acts as a useful tool to show your mental health care provider how you’re feeling in between appointments.

Operation Reach Out (iPhone and Android)
This lifesaving app was developed by the military to prevent suicide. Recorded videos and menu options help users assess their thinking and reach out for help in a crisis.

Psych Drugs (iPhone and Android)
Psych Drugs informs you how common medications differ from one another. You can learn what types of drugs are useful for your particular condition and learn about possible side-effects. The app also includes reminders, a personality checker and a dictionary packed with medical terms.

Relax and Sleep Well with Glenn Harold (iPhone and Android)
Insomnia is not only a result of depression; it’s also a problem that can worsen your depression. This app contains twenty-minute guided meditation with music to help you fall asleep.

Fitness Builder (iPhone)
Exercise is a natural mood stabiliser. This app helps you to build and maintain an exercise plan. You can access 5000 workout videos. You can even streamline coaching advice and track BMI and weight.

Moody Me – Mood Diary and Tracker (iPhone)
This app will track your mood every day. By logging in your mood daily you can gain inspiration to enhance your outlook. This app allows you to capture and store pictures that make you feel happy. You can also access forums for questions and concerns related to your mood.

Integrated approach

Apps for depression and anxiety have the benefit that they are easy to access. However, they are not to be seen as a replacement for traditional therapies. It is still important to have regular communication with your GP or mental health professional.

 

Sources
Top 10 Free Mental Health Apps. Retrieved from: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/09/20/top-10-free-mental-health-apps/
Top 10+ Depression Apps for iPhone. Retrieved from: http://www.topapps.net/apple-ios/top-depression-apps-for-iphone.html/
Beyond Blue. Retrieved from:  http://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/depression
Your body’s response to stress affects your health. Retrieved from: http://www.depression.org.nz/contentfiles/media/pdf/understanding_anxiety.pdf
History of mobile applications. Retrieved from: http://www.uky.edu/~jclark/mas490apps/History%20of%20Mobile%20Apps.pdf
The Best Depression iPhone & Android Apps of the Year. Retrieved from: http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/top-depression-iphone-android-apps
Anti-anxiety apps offer a cure for depression, but do they work? Retrieved from: http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health/article/1554086/anti-anxiety-apps-offer-cure-depression-do-they-wor