Introduction

In 2017, the number of people globally that lived with a mental health disorder was estimated to be 792 million, which is slightly greater than 1 in 10 people. According to the WHO, suicide is the second most leading cause of death among 15-29 year olds.

Depression is the leading cause of physical disability. Mental health disorders can take many forms including depression, eating disorders (anorexia/bulimia), Anxiety, Bipolar disorder among others.

Despite progress in some countries, people with mental health conditions often experience discrimination and stigma, preventing them to seek help. Therapy, while being effective, costs around $65-$200 on average per session and is out of reach of the majority.

However, various technological advancements have been made that are bridging this gap and enabling people with mental health disorders to lead a better life.

Online Therapy

Besides affecting your daily life activities, depression raises the risk of physical illnesses due to increased stress levels, which in turn impacts the immune system.

Addressing depression especially when you’re short of time and money is a concern but online therapy has it covered.

Online therapy services can be accessed from home via phone, video call and text. These therapy services, after thorough assessments, provide you with educational material and self-help material that will help you in managing your symptoms.

In fact, a 2020 study found online therapy to be more effective than in-person therapy in alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety. 

Some of the Online Therapy Platforms include:

Peer Collective

Costs just $14-28 per session. Free 60 minute trial is included. You can choose from a list of counselors and the sign-up process is super easy.

Ayana Therapy

Specializes in serving marginalized people and those from intersectional communities. Each session costs $60 and the biographies of counselors are also available on their website.

Good Therapy

It is a free to use platform which contains a directory of licensed therapists, psychologists, and mental health professionals who offer professional guidance for managing symptoms. It is easy to use and is available in all parts of the globe.

Zaaviyah

It is a mental health service based in Lahore that offers both in-person and online therapy to clients. Zaaviyah strongly believes in increasing accessibility to clients by prioritizing their perspective.

Zaaviyah has a team of dedicated professionals who offer individual therapy, group therapy, couple therapy and conduct workshops at affordable prices.

Mental Health Apps

Well if you can’t afford therapy and are struggling to manage your symptoms, you can download mental health apps. These apps aim to streamline your mental health journey and help you narrow down the expert professionals you’ve been searching for.

While not all these apps are meant to act as a supplement to a practicing therapist, they can be crucial in helping you manage your treatment and mental health related symptoms.

Most of these apps allow you to access their features at any time, search for therapists and treatments while remaining anonymous. These apps also send daily reminders, a feelings tracker and self-learning material to keep you engaged. 

Some of these apps are mentioned below.

notOK

NotOK is a free app for teenagers and young adults developed by brother and sister duo Hannah Lucas and Charlie Lucas. The app features a large, red digital panic button that can be activated to inform close friends, family and their support network that help is needed.

Users can add five of their trusted contacts in their support group. When they hit the red button, a message is sent to their contacts along with their current GPS location. The message reads: “Hey, I’m not OK! Please call, text, or come find me.” It is compatible with both iOS and Android devices.

Moodfit

Modfit is a free to use app that helps you track your moods and gives a list of exercises to address negative emotions. With the passage of time, you’ll get a better idea of the factors that affect your feelings— sleep, medication, and exercise.

Moodfit provides valuable insights into what affects your mood and gives strategies for uplifting your mood.

There’s a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) section of the app that can teach you how to negate negative thoughts and a thought record that gives strategies for modifying irrational thoughts so you can learn how to think differently.

It includes breathing exercises and you also get to learn new skills like gratitude and mindfulness in a matter of few minutes.

Self-Help Anxiety Management

SAM is an ideal fit for you if you’re interested in self-help, but don’t want to get into meditation. Users build their own 24-hour anxiety toolkit that allows them to track anxious thoughts and distressing behavior over time, and learn 25 unique self-help techniques.

For additional support, you can also use the “Social Cloud” feature to anonymously connect with other users in an online community.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality therapy (VRT) uses specially programmed software, immersion devices and artificially created environments to build a simulated experience that can be used to diagnose and treat mental health conditions that cause difficulties for patients in their daily lives.

In many environmental phobias, reaction to perceived hazards such as heights, public speaking, flying, close spaces are generally triggered through visual and audio stimuli.

In VR therapy, the virtual world serves as an artificial, controlled stimuli. By recreating the patient’s personal triggers, the therapist is able to monitor their reaction.

Thus, VR headsets give the therapist the opportunity of desensitizing patients by prompting the patient to develop a coping mechanism.

These patients may be suffering from different disorders including anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Virtual reality (VR) has been used for decades as a tool for therapists to administer virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) in a safe and controlled manner.

The advent of affordable mobile VR headsets, such as the Gear VR and Homido VR has opened new avenues to apply telemedicine for mental health treatment and increase its accessibility to patients all over the world.

Virtual therapy has been extended to treating people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, and exhibit sleeplessness, irritability, nightmares, flashbacks, self-destructive behavior and avoidance.

Some VR therapy Platforms are:

Bravemind

Warzone deployment leads many veterans to develop PTSD and a clinical and interactive VR tool called Bravemind has been developed by Dr Albert Rizzo at the University of Southern California.

Bravemind has specifically been designed for soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Amelia Virtual Care

Amelia developed a VR kit that includes a Headset and a Electrodermal response sensor to measure the patient’s sweat response.

It is a flexible and easy to use VR platform. Amelia Virtual Care contains more than 70 virtual environments and multiple functions that enable clinicians to easily apply VR in professional practice.

Virtually Better

It provides Virtual Reality therapy in five modules namely Phobias, Addiction, Relaxation, PTSD and Pediatric Suites.

To overcome phobias such as fear of flying, replicate the multisensory experiences of walking through an airport, boarding a plane, take off, in-flight weather, and landing, all within your office setting and hour!

Similarly, there is a simulated environment to help overcome fears such as heights, storms, public speaking, dogs, darkness, roaches and spiders.