Finding a Depression App: A Review and Content Analysis of the Depression App Marketplace

Abstract

BackgroundDepression is highly prevalent and causes considerable suffering and disease burden despite the existence of wide-ranging treatment options. Mobile phone apps offer the potential to help close this treatment gap by confronting key barriers to accessing support for depression.ObjectivesOur goal was to identify and characterize the different types of mobile phone depression apps available in the marketplace.MethodsA search for depression apps was conducted on the app stores of the five major mobile phone platforms: Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, Nokia, and Windows. Apps were included if they focused on depression and were available to people who self-identify as having depression. Data were extracted from the app descriptions found in the app stores.ResultsOf the 1054 apps identified by the search strategy, nearly one-quarter (23.0%, 243/1054) unique depression apps met the inclusion criteria. Over one-quarter (27.7%, 210/758) of the excluded apps failed to mention depression in the title or description. Two-thirds of the apps had as their main purpose providing therapeutic treatment (33.7%, 82/243) or psychoeducation (32.1%, 78/243). The other main purpose categories were medical assessment (16.9%, 41/243), symptom management (8.2%, 20/243), and supportive resources (1.6%, 4/243). A majority of the apps failed to sufficiently describe their organizational affiliation (65.0%, 158/243) and content source (61.7%, 150/243). There was a significant relationship (χ 2 5=50.5, P<.001) between the main purpose of the app and the reporting of content source, with most medical assessment apps reporting their content source (80.5%, 33/41). A fifth of the apps featured an e-book (20.6%, 50/243), audio therapy (16.9%, 41/243), or screening (16.9%, 41/243) function. Most apps had a dynamic user interface (72.4%, 176/243) and used text as the main type of media (51.9%, 126/243), and over a third (14.4%, 35/243) incorporated more than one form of media.ConclusionWithout guidance, finding an appropriate depression app may be challenging, as the search results yielded non-depression–specific apps to depression apps at a 3:1 ratio. Inadequate reporting of organization affiliation and content source increases the difficulty of assessing the credibility and reliability of the app. While certification and vetting initiatives are underway, this study demonstrates the need for standardized reporting in app stores to help consumers select appropriate tools, particularly among those classified as medical devices.

Discovery of and Interest in Health Apps Among Those With Mental Health Needs: Survey and Focus Group Study (Preprint)

“…As such evaluations that decry that lack of evidence-based principles within apps [21] or arguments against apps because of the overwhelming lack of rigorous research evaluation [22] is unlikely to impact consumer behavior. Consumers were much more likely to be interested in a variety of sources of information about expected benefit including user reviews, anecdotes from friends or family members, or doctor recommendations.…”

Smartphone Applications for Mental Health

“…10 We found, however, that only 70% of apps produced by our search were relevant to mental health, echoing prior results of low relevancy. 7 Most apps resulting from our search were for symptom relief, containing approaches to improving mental health that may benefit only milder symptoms. Although low-intensity mindfulness and acceptance-based interventions, 11 as well as relaxation and audio interventions, 12 and self-monitoring 13 may alleviate some symptoms of depression and anxiety, effects likely depend on symptom severity and without clinician support, app users may be unaware of when to seek professional help.…”

“…5,6 However, few empirical studies have examined the information made available to potential users choosing mental health-related apps. 7 To address this gap, in this article, we use content analysis to help answer: (a) whether apps found appeared relevant to the mental health key term searched for and/or mental health in general, (b) what types of approaches to improving mental health were provided within apps, and (c) whether descriptions included information, which may be important to someone with a mental health concern, such as information about privacy safeguards and evidence of app effectiveness.…”

A Systematic Assessment of Smartphone Tools for Suicide Prevention

“…This degree of concordance is higher than observed in reviews of other physical and mental health apps, and possibly reflects a higher degree of involvement from professional institutions in app development. For example, Nicholas et al found that only 4% of apps for bipolar disorder were developed by institutions [12], and similarly Shen et al reported that universities and institutions accounted for only 4.2% of developers of depression-related apps [13]. In contrast, institutions accounted for approximately half of developers of the reviewed suicide prevention apps.…”