Mental Wellness Apps

Suicide Prevention

Crisis Text Line

Text HELLO to 741741 or visit: https://www.crisistextline.org/

Crisis Text Line is free, 24/7 support for those in crisis. Text 741741 from anywhere in the US to text with a trained Crisis Counselor. Crisis Text Line trains volunteers to support people in crisis.

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notOK

notOK is a free app developed by a struggling teenager (and her teen brother) for teenagers. The app features a large, red button that can be activated to let close friends, family and their support network know help is needed. Users can add up to five trusted contacts as part of their support group so when they hit the digital panic button, a message along with their current GPS location is sent to their contacts. The message reads: “Hey, I’m not OK! Please call, text, or come find me.” (Free; iOS and Android)

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A Friend Asks

Would you know how to respond if you recognized your friend may be thinking about suicide?  This app will give you access to the warning signs, do’s and don’ts, and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a click away.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help... for a friend or yourself. Find out more about “A Friend Asks” app. (Free; iOS and Android)

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MY3

With MY3, you define your network and your plan to stay safe. With MY3 you can be prepared to help yourself and reach out to others when you are having thoughts of suicide. (Free; iOS and Android)

 

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General Mental Health

What’s Up

What’s up is an amazing free app that uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) methods to help you cope with Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and more. Use the positive and negative habit tracker to maintain your good habits, and break those that are counterproductive. We particularly love the “Get Grounded” page, which contains over 100 different questions to pinpoint what you’re feeling, and the “Thinking Patterns” page, which teaches you how to stop negative internal monologues. Try it out for yourself. (Free; iOS and Android)

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Quit That!

Quit That! is a completely free app that helps users beat their habits or addictions. Whether you’re looking to stop drinking alcohol, quit smoking, or stop taking drugs, it’s the perfect recovery tool to track and monitor your progress. Track as many vices as you want and find out how many minutes, hours, days, weeks, or years it’s been since you quit. (Free; iOS)

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No More!

A clean and elegant app that supports you daily in overcoming any weakness which is holding you back from becoming a better person. It does not matter if you are trying to overcome a serious addiction like drinking, smoking, gambling or trying to improve your life by quitting wasteful activities like watching porn or playing videogames for too long; No More! Can help you overcoming it and look at yourself in the mirror with pride. (Free; Android)

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iChill

Are you stressed out, not feeling like yourself or worried about a family member? iChill can help by guiding you in the use of the Community Resiliency Model, a set of wellness skills. You will learn simple information about how stress affects the mind and body. (Free; iOS and Android)

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Anxiety

Mind Shift is one of the best mental health apps designed specifically for teens and young adults with anxiety. Rather than trying to avoid anxious feelings, Mind Shift stresses the importance of changing how you think about anxiety. Think of this app as the cheerleader in your pocket, encouraging you to take charge of your life, ride out intense emotions, and face challenging situations. (Free; iOS and Android)

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Self-Help for Anxiety Management (SAM)

SAM might be perfect for you if you’re interested in self-help, but meditation isn’t your thing. Users are prompted to build their own 24-hour anxiety toolkit that allows you to track anxious thoughts and behavior over time, and learn 25 different self-help techniques. You can also use SAM’s “Social Cloud” feature to confidentially connect with other users in an online community for additional support. (Free; iOS and Android)

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The Breathing App

Created by Eddie Stern and Deepak Chopra, The Breathing app focuses on using breathing to help to calm the body and the mind.  It uses the idea of resonance breathing; allowing the heart rate, blood pressure, and brainwave function to come into a coherent frequency. Breathing at five to seven breaths instead of the usual 15-18 results in a calm, restful state of mind.

This app goes a little more in-depth on the scientific approach and physical benefits of mindfulness on the body apart from just the spiritual or mental aspects.  It also features music and sounds by the artist Moby. (Free; iOS and Android)

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Bellybio Interactive Breathing

Interactive deep abdominal breathing. Put the iPhone on your belly with follow along directions. Colors, music, and activity log. (Free; iOS)

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Mood and Emotion Control

CBT Thought Record Diary

The centerpiece of cognitive-behavioral therapy is changing your emotions by identifying negative and distorted thinking patterns. You can use CBT Thought Record Diary to document negative emotions, analyze flaws in your thinking, and reevaluate your thoughts. This is a great app for gradually changing your approach to anxiety-inducing situations and your thinking patterns for future situations. (Free; iOS and Android)

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eMoods

eMoods is a mood tracking app designed specifically for people with bipolar disorder. Throughout the day, users can track depressive and psychotic symptoms, elevated mood, and irritability and give an indication of the severity of their symptoms. Users can then see their mood changes on a color-coded monthly calendar and even export a monthly summary report to identify specific triggers and better understand their fluctuating mood. (Free; iOS and Android)

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Happify

Need a happy fix? With its psychologist-approved mood-training program, the Happify app is your fast-track to a good mood. Try various engaging games, activity suggestions, gratitude prompts and more to train your brain as if it were a muscle, to overcome negative thoughts. The best part? Its free! (Free; iOS and Android)

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MoodTools

MoodTools aims to support people with clinical depression by aiding the path to recovery. Discover helpful videos that can improve your mood and behavior, log and analyze your thoughts using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) principles, develop a suicide safety plan and more with this free app. (Free; iOS and Android)

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Virtual Hope Box

Multi-media coping skill app. Distraction techniques such as games, meditation, coping techniques to reduce stress, relaxation tools. The Virtual Hope Box (VHB) is a smartphone application to help with anxiety, depression, and PTSD. The VHB contains simple tools to help people with coping, relaxation, distraction, and positive thinking. Use your own smartphone for your specific needs. (Free; iOS and Android)

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Eating Disorder Management

Recovery Record

Recovery Record is a great app for anyone recovering from an eating disorder and wanting to develop a more positive body image. Keep a record of the meals you eat and how they make you feel using the app and complete questionnaires that’ll help you track your progress over time. One user calls Recovery Record a “remarkable recovery tool”; “It helps me stick to my meal plan, provides an outlet to vent about my food concerns and helps me stay intact with my body to work with it rather than against.” (Free; iOS and Android)

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Lifesum

Lifesum is a broader resource for all things healthy living. The app allows you to set personal goals, from eating healthier, to building more muscle and getting in more steps each day. You can also enter your own personal data and let Lifesum generate a “Life Score” to get a personalized roadmap to better health. With reminders to drink water and eat regularly throughout the day, Lifesum is a great option for anyone trying to live healthier, but for people with eating disorders, this app can be used to help you redefine how you think about healthy body image. (Free; iOS and Android)

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Obsessive Thinking

GG OCD

GG OCD aims to improve OCD symptoms by increasing the user’s awareness of negative thoughts and training the brain to push those aside to embrace a more positive outset. The app takes the users through various levels, each consisting of short games around a specific theme. From how to automatically replace negative self-talk with positive thoughts, to belief in change, building self-esteem and more, this app takes its user on a journey towards a healthier thinking pattern. (Free; iOS)

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PTSD

PTSD Coach

Created by the VA’s National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), PTSD Coach offers everything from a self-assessment for PTSD, to opportunities to find support, positive self-talk, and anger management. What’s great about this app is that you can customize tools based on your own individual needs and preferences, and integrate your own contacts, photos, and music. (Free; iOS and Android)

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Breathe2Relax

Sometimes you just need to breathe and remind yourself you are okay. Breathe2Relax is made for just that. Created by the National Center for Telehealth and Technology, this app is a portable stress management tool that teaches users a skill called diaphragmatic breathing. Breathe2Relax works by decreasing the body’s ‘fight-or-flight’ stress response, making it a great option for people suffering from PTSD. (Free; iOS and Android)

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Mindfulness and Meditation

Headspace

The Headspace app makes meditation simple. Learn the skills of mindfulness and meditation by using this app for just a few minutes per day. You gain access to hundreds of meditations on everything from stress and anxiety to sleep and focus. The app also has a handy “get some headspace” reminder to encourage you to keep practicing each day. ($12.99/Month or $9.99/Year for students; iOS and Android)

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Omvana

Meditation For Everyone. Whether you are a seasoned meditator or you are just getting started, Omvana gives you access to hundreds of beautifully crafted tracks for all levels. From advanced meditations to get you into deep states of mind to bite-sized sessions for busy people – Omvana has you covered. www.omvana.com (Free; iOS)