Top 10 mental health apps — an alternative to when you can’t afford therapy.

Online therapy is the process of getting help for your emotional and mental health issues via the internet either through a website or a mobile app etc. With the internet now accessible in almost every corner of the world, online therapy has become much more popular and also much more effective.

How does it work?

The services offered depend on the platform or expert you see, but usually include:

Messaging via text, video or voice With this option, you’re able to send messages to your therapist anytime through a third-party platform. The therapist will reply as soon as they’re able, though some platforms do guarantee a response within a certain amount of time.

· Live text, video, or phone sessions: These are scheduled in advance and are typically conducted through the third-party platform, or with a therapist directly. They give you and your therapist a chance to communicate much as you would during a traditional in-person session.

Ultimately, the form of communication you use will depend on personal preference — yours and your therapist’s. For instance, text messaging-based therapy is appealing to a generation of young adults who grew up communicating that way.

Efficacy

The efficacy of traditional talk therapy can vary depending on the type of therapy that’s used — cognitive behavioral therapy, psycho-dynamic psychotherapy, interpersonal therapy — as well as the issue it’s being used to treat (depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder.

That said, there is research that shows that talk therapy can literally change your brain, strengthening the connection between regions of the brain that can help reduce symptoms and support recovery. And a separate study found that talk therapy can work as equally well as antidepressants during the initial treatment of moderate to severe depression.

So far, multiple studies — though still preliminary — find that online therapy can be equivalent to face-to-face care.

Which are the best apps for improving mental health for free?

While there are many apps which can be used for helping you with your emotional and mental health issues, we are listing a few of them which have been quite effective and well designed. These are by far the best free mental health apps of 2020. They are listed in the order of preference.

Aurum : It’s one of the best online therapy apps globally. They have their own unique programs on stress, anxiety , depression management and others. Its based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) which is the most well adopted approach to tackle emotional issues like stress, anxiety etc. Most of the content is free. This makes Aurum the top app of online therapy anywhere in the world right now.

Calm: Its become quite popular in the last couple of years. They have a whole lot of guided audio activities and especially useful for sleep and relaxation. It’s a well designed app as well. For people who like to rely solely on audio, this could be a good option.They are more focused on audio content and are expanding on that front.

Head-space: Again another app which has become quite popular in recent times. Similar to Calm in terms of usability they also have lots of guided audio activities to choose from. It’s quite popular in Europe due to the founders being from there.

Youper: Its an AI based emotional assistant. It can be quite useful in times of emotional distress. You get someone to talk to without judgement. Its free and easy to use. Although it doesn’t have a real life coach to support so that is a drawback.

7 cups: It has a platform where you can connect with a listener who will listen to you and offer you support without judgement. They have real life people who act as listeners and you are paired with a listener when you sign up for talking. Its free so it can be a good first step for anyone looking to vent.

8 Breathe ball: It’s an stress relieving guided audio app. There are different activities that you can listen to and relieve your depression. Easy activities and quick relaxation. Again, they lack access to professionals.

9 TalkLife: If you’re struggling you can get support. TalkLife connects you with real people around the world who want to listen and support you. They have a large community receiving support across anxiety, depression, eating disorders and those battling self harm.

10 Insight Timer: Its again a guided meditation app. They have a lot of meditations that one can use. You can also customize the meditations according to speed tempo voice type etc which is good. Its also free and has a premium model where you can pay to unlock additional content.

So these are the top apps which you can download now to improve your mental health. Its quite easy to enroll into any one of these apps and getting help for your issues has never been easier. Although you would not be getting to talk to a psychologist its quite useful to at-least help you with stress, anxiety, sadness etc on a basic level. The apps are all good in their own way and any one of these would be quite useful for anyone looking for improving their mental health. You can try a couple and settle in on the one which makes you feel most comfortable.