EDMONTON -- Freely available apps on our mobile devices may be a beneficial tool to manage mental health when professional services aren't accessible, research from the University of Alberta suggests.
Kaitlin O'Toole, occupational therapist and recent grad of the school's faculty of rehabilitation medicine, compared 12 apps available on Apple's App Store or Google Play.
Working with people who have military or first responder experience, she studied the benefits of programs like AIMS for Anger Management, Concussion Coach, PTSD Family Coach and Mindfulness Coach.
"I ended up finding that most of the things are very accessible for everyone," O'Toole told CTV News Edmonton. "And I find there are things in my practice I might recommend for everyone, like deep breathing."
She said the apps should not replace face-to-face or professional help, but that they do offer an idea of what health intervention could look like and reduce stigma surrounding mental illness.
The apps, O'Toole added, could even be of benefit to the general public during an ongoing public event, like the current COVID-19 pandemic.
"Even if it’s something they don’t typically experience, I think it’s reasonable to assume that people might be having a harder time with this, and we really want to emphasize that your mental wellbeing is important," she said.
"I don’t know how much mental health services have been affected, but I think it’s reasonable to assume they might have been, and so these are a really great way for people to kind of still connect with those topics."
She said anyone who was looking for apps to use should pay attention to user reviews and experiences, reputable developers like government or health agencies, and for exercise like visualization, progressive muscle relaxation and sleep strategies.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Joey Slattery
