Beware of Mental Health Apps: Do They Actually Help or Just Empty Your Wallet?
In today’s digital era, mental health apps have flooded the app market, offering a wide range of services such as meditation, mood tracking, and counseling. With promising claims to alleviate anxiety and sleep issues, one would assume these apps undergo rigorous testing and verification. However, the reality might surprise you.
Contrary to expectations, many mental health apps could be nothing more than money-making schemes, lacking scientific evidence to support their effectiveness. While a handful do connect users with registered therapists, most solely rely on fully automated systems, removing the critical human element that ensures proper care and confidentiality. And what’s more troubling is that some of these apps are not even developed by mental health professionals.
Moreover, these apps boast of incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into their design, providing personalized recommendations for meditation and mindfulness. Yet, the lack of transparency in their underlying algorithms leaves users in the dark about how these recommendations are generated. There is a possibility that these recommendations are solely based on a user’s previous activities, similar to how Netflix’s recommendation algorithm operates.
Apps like Wysa, Youper, and Woebot utilize AI-powered chatbots to deliver support, including established therapeutic interventions like cognitive behavioral therapy. However, the specific algorithms used by these apps remain undisclosed. It is likely that they follow rule-based systems, where predetermined rules dictate their responses, rather than adaptive models that learn and improve over time. While these rules are intended to prevent the delivery of inappropriate or harmful information, there is no guarantee of their effectiveness.
The utilization of AI in mental health apps comes with inherent risks of biased or discriminatory information being provided to users, without adequate investigation into these potential harms. Although some well-designed and thoroughly vetted mental health apps may offer certain benefits to users, they should never be considered a substitute for professional therapy targeted towards conditions like anxiety or depression.
When it comes to the efficacy of automated mental health and mindfulness apps, the available evidence is generally lacking. Some apps make ambitious claims, referencing studies that supposedly support their benefits. However, these claims often stem from weak or inconclusive findings.
Moreover, the fine print of many mental health apps absolves them of any responsibility for providing the services they promote. Their terms and conditions usually state a lack of assurance in delivering physical, therapeutic, or medical benefits. Essentially, they are not obligated to fulfill the promises they make.
Shockingly, mental health apps could even exacerbate the very symptoms they aim to alleviate. This occurs when individuals become more aware of their issues without receiving the necessary tools to address them effectively.
Additionally, research on the effectiveness of most mental health apps fails to consider individual differences such as socioeconomic status, age, and other factors that can significantly influence user engagement. Furthermore, the inclusivity of these apps for marginalized groups, including culturally and linguistically diverse communities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and neurodiverse populations, is often left unaddressed.
While mental health apps are subject to standard consumer protection and privacy laws, many fall short in terms of data protection and cybersecurity practices. A study conducted by the research foundation Mozilla revealed that most mental health apps rank poorly in these areas. For instance, the popular mindfulness app Headspace collects user data from various sources and leverages it for targeted advertising. Chatbot-based apps often repurpose conversations to predict user moods, utilizing anonymized user data to train their underlying language models.
Unfortunately, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) does not subject most mental health and wellbeing apps to the same testing and monitoring as other medical products. These apps are typically categorized as health and lifestyle products or mental health management tools, bypassing stringent TGA regulations if they meet certain criteria.
Providing consumers with third-party rankings of mental health apps may seem helpful, but these rankings often focus on narrow aspects like usability or privacy and can vary significantly across different guides.
While it is crucial to exercise caution and conduct due diligence before relying on a specific mental health or mindfulness app, it is important to note that no app can fully substitute the value of real help from trained professionals.
