Dr. Mallika Raghavendra

In order to provide tailored treatment choices to a maximum number of patients, researchers from Stanford University in the US have defined five new categories of mental illness that will cut across the current broad diagnoses of anxiety and depression.

The five categories are general anxiety, tension, anhedonia, melancholia and anxious arousal. These categories are primarily defined by their specific symptoms and areas of brain activation.

This step was taken, in order to provide guided treatment to millions of patients who suffer from these problems worldwide. In India, as per WHO the number of people who suffer from depression and anxiety is 5 and 3 Crore respectively.

The smart phone revolution has changed our lives in many ways. With several adults and even tech savvy teenagers and children turning victims of problems like anxiety and depression, doctors are increasingly turning to mental health apps. Frequent use of tech gives a better avenue for communication, in this case between doctors and patients.

Here are the top 7 mental health apps that can be used by patients to improve their mental health

1. Code Blue: Bullying is a real problem that has led many down the path of depression and suicide. And, sometimes the solution is closer than you think, in this case it is just a click away. With Code Blue, you can choose people from your contact to be a part of your support group. With just a few clicks, the app will alert the support group if the user needs their help. The app also communicates the user's location to the group and the group can indicate that help is on the way.
2. Breath2Relax: Feeling too anxious or angry and want to let your bad side take over the situation. Launch Breath2Relax on your phone and you'll be walked through a series of breathing exercise that help to reduce stress, stabilize mood, control anger, and manage anxiety. It can be operated independently.
3. Lantern: Lantern is a web and mobile based platform that combines cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques with advice from real experts. The app starts by measuring the users strengths, weaknesses, stress, anxiety, mood and social life and then tailors daily exercises that suits their pattern. Next the app matches you with a professional CBT coach who can answer any questions you have.
4. PTSD Coach: PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD Coach is an app developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs' National Center for PTSD, intended for use by veterans, military personnel and civilians experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. The app provides a self assessment tool that tracks symptoms over a period of time and also connects with a support group from your contact list and locate nearby treatment programs.
5. Optimism: Optimism is a family of applications that focus on self-tracking as a tool for coping with mental illnesses including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety and PTSD. Users can record the intensity of their mood, which will eventually detect patterns and help identify problem triggers. . Users can create a customizable wellness plan to chart their coping mechanisms which will come from experience and understanding of their mental condition.
6. Talkspace: This free app helps users connect with a therapist with whom they can chat anytime. It isn't exactly a substitute to in-person therapy, but more a precursor where the app's therapists can monitor and guide the user if they need more advanced help.
7. Big white wall: Sometimes just knowing that there are others in the same boat as you is a big help and this is what the app does. It is a community where users with different type of mental health problems come together for discussion boards, reference articles and self-assessment tests. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a doctor and ask a free question.