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Unregulated New Technology: The Science of Mental Health Apps

The new technology for mental health apps is booming in popularity. It’s also unregulated and undertested.

ByGabe Allen
Credit: Koshiro K/Shutterstock

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Whether you’re standing in an elevator or sitting down at a dinner table, chances are that one of the people next to you is experiencing psychological hardship. Maybe it’s you. Last year, an estimated 47 million Americans experienced mental illness; that’s almost one in five.

In response, mobile apps designed to increase users' psychological wellbeing have similarly proliferated in recent years. Some are generic wellness apps that motivate people to meditate or do yoga, while others provide targeted treatments for specific mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder or bipolar disorder. Each of these technologies has the potential to reach people who might otherwise lack access to mental health care.

Read More: Your Next Therapist Could Be a Chatbot App

At the onset of the pandemic, mental health professionals struggled to meet the growing demand for their services. A survey of adults who received such services revealed that 17.7 million ...

  • Gabe Allen

    Gabe Allen is a Colorado-based freelance journalist focused on science and the environment. He is a 2023 reporting fellow with the Pulitzer Center and a current master's student at the University of Colorado Center for Environmental Journalism. His byline has appeared in Discover Magazine, Astronomy Magazine, Planet Forward, The Colorado Sun, Wyofile and the Jackson Hole News&Guide.

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