Mental Health…There’s an App for That!

Try some of these mental health apps for your smartphone!

Here at the PTI, we take mental health and well being seriously.  It’s important to us to stay up to date on evolving technology and well-researched methods for dealing with mental illness.  It’s also important to acknowledge the interconnectedness and emphasis on technology that has occurred within our culture over the past ten years.  While we can’t endorse the use of any mental health app, we want to educate the community at large about the potential to use these as tools, which may help you in maintaining or improving your mental health.

Top Rated Mental Health Apps for Mobile Devices

• Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson:  No, it’s not the ex-president!  This is an app that guides users through Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) techniques– a tool that’s over 100 years old– which is a proven way to help relax, calm down, and settle into a good night’s sleep.  As we all know, a regular sleeping schedule is one of the pillars to promoting good mental health.
• WhatsMyM3:  This is an app that uses a 27-item survey to help individuals track their moods and monitor potential mental health symptoms, indicating whether or not someone is at risk for depression, anxiety, bipolar, or PTSD.  Results are saved over time, which can be useful as a way to track how your mood changes and impacts your lifestyle.  This app is not a reliable diagnostic tool for mental illness, however, it is a basic tool that’s for tracking your mood.
• Optimism:  This free app helps to track moods and journal while on your journey to recovery from serious mental illness such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar.  Both Optimism and WhatsMyM3 can be used by mental health patients to track moods and consult with their doctor regarding the effectiveness of their recovery process.
• BellyBio: If you’ve been following us for awhile, you probably remember learning about coping skills that involve deep breathing exercises to help elevate mood and reduce anxiety.  BellyBio is a free app that can be used to help reduce stress and uses biofeedback to monitor your breathing sounds.
• Concussion Coach Mobile App:  This is an app (only available for Apple devices) designed for Armed Services Vets and Service members “who have experienced a mild to moderate concussion.”  Features of the app include a self-assessment tool to help assess and track recurring symptoms.  The app also has series of tools and relaxation exercises to help de-escalate and manage some of the difficulties associated with long term effects of having suffered a concussion.
• Operation Reach Out: Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US, leading to 38,000 deaths per year.  This app is a free tool that was originally developed by the military but is now available to everyone.  This app helps anyone who is experiencing suicidal thoughts to de-escalate, reassess their thought patterns, and to call for help if necessary.  Nearly a quarter-million Americans survive a suicide attempt every year.

At the PTI, we do our best to stay “up to date,” whether it’s researched treatment methods or the use of appropriate technology to help with the treatment process.  Staying up to date is one of our pillars because we believe that you deserve the best.  If you’re a resident within or near by Covington and Baton Rouge communities, please consider us as your partner on the pathway to recovery for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and any other type of mental illness.