Anti-Anxiety Apps: Features for Bolstering Patients’ Coping Ability

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders rank as the most prevalent mental illness in the United States. An astonishing 49 million US adults grapple with various forms of anxiety, yet a mere 36.9% of them actually seek professional assistance. Equally concerning is the fact that just 10% of individuals undergoing therapy receive truly effective treatment. However, introducing a patient to an anxiety mobile app can prove to be a valuable investment in enhancing treatment outcomes.

What an Anxiety Mobile App Should Offer

The success of therapy greatly hinges on a patient’s ability to effectively learn anxiety management techniques and adhere to the guidance of their mental care professional. To support mental health professionals and empower patients in practicing their therapy approaches, anxiety mobile apps should incorporate the following features.

Stress Relief Assistance

Anxiety apps serve as valuable tools to help patients overcome physical and psychological tension and induce a state of relaxation. Since different approaches work for different individuals, anxiety apps offer a plethora of relaxation methods to cater to individual preferences. These may include a diverse selection of calming audio tracks, soothing visuals, interactive meditation sessions, breathing technique manuals, and even gamification elements for added engagement.

Breathing Technique Manuals

Deep breathing is often the initial relaxation technique recommended by mental care professionals to their patients with anxiety. However, it can be challenging for patients to remember the correct breathing patterns during stressful situations. Anxiety mobile apps come to the rescue with automatic breathing manuals that provide visual cues and count the number of steady deep breaths to take. To alleviate concerns of hypoxia or hyperventilation, the app may also include a calming animation of lungs being filled with oxygen. This visual reassurance helps individuals feel more at ease and facilitates a calmer state of mind.

Interactive Activities

Distraction from anxiety-inducing thoughts can be crucial for relaxation. Anxiety apps can incorporate interactive activities, such as quiz-like tasks that prompt patients to recall and type down specific items sharing a common color or quality. These tasks can be customized by therapists to cater to each patient’s needs and interests. Additionally, the app can feature games like puzzles, virtual pets, word games, and more, providing both engagement and relaxation.

Physical Symptoms Trackers

Some physical symptoms of anxiety, like spikes in blood pressure or palpitations, can be concerning and add to an individual’s anxiety. Anxiety mobile apps can act as personal trackers to collect and analyze health data, such as heart rate readings taken through the phone’s camera lens. If any measurements indicate potential health issues, the app will prompt users to seek medical attention, and it can even notify the therapist. For less urgent cases, the app will offer self-help tips recommended by the mental care professional, like taking a rest or following approved medication protocols.

Medication Plan and Reminders

Managing medication for anxiety disorders can be complex, with multiple medications and dosages involved. Anxiety apps can simplify this process by providing an electronic medication plan with timely reminders for each intake. Therapists can create individualized plans for their patients and monitor their adherence to the schedule. Additionally, therapists can make adjustments to the plan as needed, notifying patients of any changes through the app.

By incorporating these essential features, anxiety mobile apps can be powerful tools in supporting both patients and mental care professionals on the path to effective anxiety management and treatment.

Best Apps for Anxiety

Here are some highly-rated anxiety management apps that have been thoroughly tested and evaluated for usability and accessibility.

MindShift

MindShift is specifically designed for young adults struggling with anxious thoughts. The app aims to help users manage anxiety by providing tools for healthy thinking, finding their “chill zone,” and creating positive action items. It empowers users by decoding anxiety through its “learn” options and encouraging the setting of specific and realistic goals. One reviewer aptly described it as a “cheerleader in your pocket,” inspiring users to take charge and navigate intense emotions with confidence.

BoosterBuddy

BoosterBuddy focuses on building positive mental health habits by offering daily quests as reminders. Originally created to suggest coping skills for obsessive-compulsive disorder, disordered eating, and self-harm, the app is beneficial for managing anxiety-induced obsessive thoughts as well. Users can approach their challenges in manageable increments, learning self-care strategies through prompts and exercises. The app also provides a coping library to guide users through rough patches.

Rootd

Rootd is like a panic button in a pocket. When users feel a panic attack coming on, they can hit the big, red panic button. The app then guides users through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques to retrain their minds with positive behavioral strategies for coping. Rootd also offers a deep-breathing tool, an anxiety journal, guided visualizations, and body scans, a stats page, empowering lessons, and reading materials to understand panic and anxiety better.

Moodtrack

Moodtrack helps users identify and track their moods through colorful graphs over various timeframes. By gaining insight into emotions and feelings, users can also identify triggers of anxiety and stress. This awareness enables individuals to recognize patterns early on, such as stress before exams or mood fluctuations before certain events, and work towards breaking negative cycles and habits. The app also offers a social network component, where users can connect with others and build a community.

7 Cups

Anxiety can feel isolating, but 7 Cups offers an anonymous way to find support and access coping tools. At its core, the app is community and connection-based, allowing users to seek peer support, ask questions, and make friends who can relate to their experiences. For those seeking a more personalized experience, users can engage in 1:1 chats with dedicated, volunteer “active listeners.” The app also offers a paid service connecting users with trained therapists. While the free service provides empathetic and anonymous support, it emphasizes that active listeners are not therapists but offer a safe haven of compassionate understanding.

These anxiety management apps serve as valuable companions on the path to wellness, offering tools, support, and coping mechanisms to empower users in their journey toward better mental health.

On a Final Note

While not a substitute for professional guidance, anxiety mobile apps serve as valuable companions, supporting patients on their journey to improved mental well-being. These apps offer stress relief techniques, track physical symptoms, and provide medication plans, helping individuals cope with anxiety and take vital steps towards overcoming it. Embracing technology in mental healthcare can pave the way for a more empowered and healthy society.