Clinical review of user engagement with mental health smartphone apps : evidence, theory and improvements

John Torous, Jennifer Nicholas, Mark E. Larsen, Joseph Firth, Helen Christensen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

469 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The potential of smartphone apps to improve quality and increase access to mental health care is increasingly clear. Yet even in the current global mental health crisis, real-world uptake of smartphone apps by clinics or consumers remains low. To understand this dichotomy, this paper reviews current challenges surrounding user engagement with mental health smartphone apps. While smartphone engagement metrics and reporting remains heterogeneous in the literature, focusing on themes offers a framework to identify underlying trends. These themes suggest that apps are not designed with service users in mind, do not solve problems users care most about, do not respect privacy, are not seen as trustworthy and are unhelpful in emergencies. Respecting these current issues surrounding mental health app engagement, we propose several solutions and highlight successful examples of mental health apps with high engagement. Further research is necessary to better characterise engagement with mental health apps and identify best practices for design, testing and implementation.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)116-119
Number of pages4
JournalEvidence-Based Mental Health
Volume21
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

Keywords

  • mental health
  • mobile apps
  • user, centered system design

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