MENTAL HEALTH APPS: PROCEED WITH CAUTION
Some experts are leery, but there’s evidence online therapy can be useful
Katherine Glick was skeptical when she heard about Talkspace, a mobile app and website that connects more than 200 licensed therapists with patients via text messaging. After all, multiple studies have demonstrated a clear link between tech use and elevated levels of stress and anxiety.
The Canadian Mental Health Association says anxiety disorders affect about 12 per cent of people and cost the economy upwards of $50 billion a year. The most common reasons for not seeking treatment are lack of access, affordability and the stigma associated with mental health.
“I was very much on the fence with online health care, especially with psychotherapy and how effective it could be. I figured that technology dehumanizes us sometimes and that it’s sort of like taking the ‘human’ out of human service work,” said Glick, clinical director of Solstice Counseling & Wellness Center in Lumberton, N.J.
After speaking with Roni Frank, one of Talkspace’s two co-founders, she decided to give it a try.
The list of platforms targeting mental health issues is growing rapidly. Headspace, Calm and Buddhify lead users through guided meditation. Sleepio uses an animated English-accented professor to induce a good night’s rest and has had its findings published in medical journals including Sleep and the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. Others such as Pacifica and Joyable incorporate Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) into their programs.
As these apps proliferate, they are being dogged by questions regarding their efficacy. A significant body of research suggests that CBT, which, put simply, trains patients to detect and follow negative thoughts and redirect them, can be just as effective when delivered online as it is through an in-person therapist.
Furthermore, a 2013 study by researchers at the University of Zurich concluded that online psychotherapy is on par with its face-to-face counterpart.
“I’ve found that clients tend to share much more through the written word than verbal expression,” said Glick.
For example, after a few back-and-forths, therapists are able to get a sense of certain words clients use, the time of day they like to write, how frequently, how they structure sentences and the average length of their messages. A deviation from those can lead to valuable insights into the client’s state of mind. Sill, there are problems. “There’s a certain accountability that comes with meeting somebody in person. As a therapist, you really have to be authentic in your effort to build that relationship and attend to it often to ensure that it’s on solid ground,” Glick said.
Meditation apps have also faced their fair share of criticism. Mainly, detractors are concerned that apps have trivialized the millennia-old practice.
“Throughout all their history, Buddhists have used whatever technology is available to communicate, so I don’t think there’s anything wrong in principle with using the latest ones. The bigger issue is to what extent these practices can get usurped by people or organizations that might use them in ways contrary to how they were designed,” said David McMahan, author of The Making of Buddhist Modernism and a professor at Frank & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa.
“Meditation was invented with the idea of lessening people’s anxiety and decreasing what are known in Buddhism as the Three Poisons, which are greed, hatred and ignorance. If it’s then turned around and used by corporations who are promoting greed, that’s perceived as problematic.”
Although it sounds counterintuitive for a practice meant to help individuals reach a higher level of self-awareness and inner calm, meditation has traditionally been taught in a group setting. Historically, it’s also been important to have an actual teacher and not just an app or a book.
“In order to really benefit from meditation, you need someone who can answer questions and who has gone further with this than you have. Mindfulness takes time to develop. I’m not saying that an app can’t be useful, but it’s not going to be sufficient,” said McMahan.
Finally, no app, no matter its approach, price point or entertainment value, can ever address the problems that are often at the root of anxiety such as working long hours, managing personal relationships and financial stress.
“These apps play into our culture of instant gratification. There can be a kind of greed for a peaceful life and, you know, ‘ I want it right now!’ ” said McMahan.
There’s acertain accountability that comes with meeting somebody in person. As a therapist, you really have to be authentic in your effort to build that relationship and attend to it often to ensure that it’s on solid ground.
KATHERINE GLICK CLINICAL DIRECTOR, SOLSTICE COUNSELING & WELLNESS CENTER, LUMBERTON, N.J.